Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has returned to Harvard University as a faculty member for the prestigious Harvard Ministerial Leadership Programme, where he’s sharing Ghana’s Free Senior High School implementation experience with government officials from around the world.
The former Education Minister, popularly known as NAPO, served in that role from 2017 to 2021, overseeing the rollout of what became one of Africa’s most ambitious education access initiatives. His appointment as faculty demonstrates how the policy, despite ongoing domestic debates about sustainability and quality, has attracted international attention as a case study in rapid education reform.
During NAPO’s tenure, senior high school enrollment broke records, with over 470,000 students enrolling in the 2017/18 academic year, representing an 11% increase from the previous year. The programme abolished fees for public senior high schools, eliminating a financial barrier that had prevented thousands of Ghanaian students from accessing secondary education.
His Harvard lecture highlighted how visionary leadership and commitment to equity can transform access to education and secure a nation’s future, according to reports about his presentation. This framing positions the Free SHS policy within broader governance and development conversations rather than purely technical education administration.
The Harvard Ministerial Leadership Programme typically invites senior government officials and former ministers who’ve implemented significant policy initiatives with lessons relevant to other countries. NAPO’s inclusion suggests the programme’s organizers view Ghana’s education expansion as worth studying, regardless of political controversies surrounding the policy at home.
Between 2017 and 2021, Ghana’s government spent GH¢5.12 billion (approximately $392 million) implementing the Free SHS policy, representing substantial public investment in education access. Whether this spending level proves sustainable over the long term remains a central question in domestic policy debates.
Critics have questioned the policy’s financial viability and raised concerns about education quality deteriorating as enrollment surged beyond existing infrastructure capacity. Schools adopted double track systems where students alternate attendance periods to accommodate increased numbers, a solution that addressed space constraints but created scheduling complications.
The programme’s beneficiaries grew from 800,000 students at implementation in 2017 to over 1.2 million by 2021, representing a 50% expansion in just four years. This rapid growth presented logistical challenges that tested Ghana’s education system capacity limits.
NAPO’s Harvard appointment comes after he served as Energy Minister from 2021 to 2024 and was the New Patriotic Party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, which the party lost to the National Democratic Congress. His return to academic engagement suggests a post electoral career trajectory focused on policy expertise sharing rather than immediate political positioning.
The Free SHS policy represents one of President Nana Akufo Addo’s signature initiatives, fulfilling a campaign promise that resonated with voters frustrated by education costs preventing children from completing secondary school. Implementation began in September 2017, making Ghana one of few African countries offering genuinely free public secondary education.
Research on the policy’s impacts shows mixed results that complicate simple assessments. Studies indicate increased enrollment and improved access for girls and students from lower income backgrounds. However, concerns persist about whether rapid expansion compromised instruction quality and whether graduates receive education competitive with pre policy standards.
In 2021, Ghanaian students achieved a 65% pass rate in core subjects, marking improvement from prior years and suggesting the policy expanded access while maintaining some academic standards. Whether this performance level satisfies education quality expectations depends partly on baseline comparisons and partly on aspirations for Ghana’s human capital development.
The Harvard engagement allows NAPO to present Ghana’s experience to international audiences less invested in domestic political debates about the policy. Government officials from other countries considering similar education access initiatives can examine Ghana’s implementation process, infrastructure adaptations, financing mechanisms, and enrollment outcomes.
His presentation likely addresses practical implementation challenges including teacher recruitment, infrastructure expansion, feeding programme logistics, and the double track system. These operational details matter more for policy learning than ideological debates about whether governments should provide free secondary education.
The programme also offers NAPO opportunities to learn from other countries’ education reforms, potentially informing future contributions to Ghana’s policy conversations. Former ministers who engage with international academic and policy communities often bring comparative perspectives that enrich domestic debates.
Harvard’s interest in the Free SHS implementation reflects broader global attention to education access as a development priority. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals include targets for universal secondary education completion, making Ghana’s rapid expansion approach relevant for countries facing similar access challenges with limited resources.
Whether the policy ultimately succeeds depends on Ghana’s ability to maintain and improve quality while sustaining the financial commitments required. The government must continue funding operational costs including teacher salaries, learning materials, and infrastructure maintenance while potentially addressing quality concerns through additional investments.
NAPO’s Harvard role positions him as a policy expert with implementation experience rather than just a political figure. This distinction matters for his long term influence on Ghana’s education debates and potential future contributions to policy development regardless of which party holds power.
The Free SHS policy’s legacy will be written over decades as cohorts who benefited progress through tertiary education and enter Ghana’s workforce. Early assessments provide incomplete pictures of long term impacts on human capital development, economic productivity, and social mobility.
For now, international recognition through Harvard’s invitation to teach about the implementation validates that Ghana attempted something ambitious that other countries find worth studying. Whether ambitious equals successful remains a question that requires more time and evidence to answer definitively.
