The Effectiveness of The Free Senior High School Policy in Ghana: A Moral Development Perspective

Abstract

The secondary agents of social connections are schools. Since schools have access to trained professionals and resources, it is assumed that this is the only place where students’ moral and ethical development can be reinforced and flourish. As a result, the school’s role is to support students in developing their moral judgment. However, present students’ behaviour in the post-free senior high school period is getting out of hand, both on school campuses and in society. This has raised a lot of questions about the effectiveness of the free senior high school policy on students’ moral development. This necessitated research into how the policy has affected students’ conduct and moral development. The researchers employed a descriptive survey design for this study. Interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data from forty-one (41) participants, consisting of twenty-one (21) students, ten (10) teachers, and ten (10) parents in Sefwi Wiawso Municipality in the Western North Region of Ghana. It was established that the policy has led to mass moral literacy (moral education). On the other hand, other challenges have impaired students’ moral development. The findings call for and necessitate that those with a vested interest in the free senior high school policy do an evaluation and revision of the program. Keywords: Ghana, Free Senior High School Policy, Morality, and Moral Development, Double Track System