Abstract:
This study investigates the impact of government funding on enrollment, retention, and female participation in selected High Schools in Cape Coast, focusing on trends from 2014 to 2019 for the enrolment analysis and 2018 to 2021 for the retention analysis. Utilizing a non-probabilistic and purposive sampling approach, the research employs a quantitative research method as well as an explanatory design to analyse secondary data from archives, school websites, Ministry of Education records, and headmasters/mistresses. The examination of enrollment trends reveals transformative effects following the initiation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) program in 2017. Notable schools experienced fluctuations, with significant increases in 2017 and 2018 and a decrease in 2019. Despite this dip, the cumulative enrollment for all schools demonstrated an overall positive impact, with the raw frequency in 2019 surpassing pre-Free SHS values. Moving to the impact on student retention, completion rates for selected schools in 2018 ranged from 69.07% to 96.61%, totalling 89.54%. Subsequent years showed improvements, with a marginal increase in 2019 and substantial gains for the first Free SHS student completed in 2020, reaching an overall completion rate of 92.07%. Exploring the impact on female SHS participation, an overall upward trend from 2014 to 2019 was evident, contributed to by Free SHS in 2017. However, fluctuations occurred, with increases in 2018 followed by a decrease in 2019, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. Recommendations include sustaining and enhancing the positive impact of government funding on student enrollment, providing support and incentives for student retention, and addressing barriers to increasing female SHS participation. Continuous monitoring, community engagement, and further research covering other senior high schools are suggested for future endeavours.
