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The Centre for National Affairs has jumped into the debate over the feasibility or otherwise of the New Patriotic Party�s proposition on Senior High School education, indicating that even though some critical details are lacking from the NPP, the programme is worth exploring and �containable� in public expenditure. The Centre assumed that with all the major public policies on education put in place in Ghana, the Free SHS education policy is feasible and should commence with focus on public SHS while efforts are made to include private SHS in due course. The Centre said while it joins the call for the NPP and its flag bearer to present and discuss the full details of their proposal to enable them state their final position, they believe that this policy, �at the very least, is financially feasible and sustainable within the medium to long term.� In a statement released and signed by its Executive Director, Ransford Osei Yaw, the group explained two approaches which could speedily help in the implementation of the policy, setting 2012 as commencement date. The first phase, the Centre stated will be to support all students entering public SHS 1 in 2014 and beyond, while the second option which they described as �Grandstanding Approach� will be to support all students in SHS 1-3 in 2014 and beyond. They estimated that under the first option, 414, 190 students will benefit in the first year and peak to 909,559 in 2018. Also with second phase, the group estimated that 1,101,258 pupils are expected to benefit in 2014 while 1,758,513 could be supported in five years� time. According to the, the figures which cover all students for whom the policy is intended resolves fears of extra cost that could arise with possible increases in enrollment, stating further that, their figure do not also anticipate drop-out during the transition. Basing their estimate on the current Ghana Living Standard Survey (5,2008), concerning the financial implications in rolling out such a policy, CAN contended that per the GLSS 5, the amount paid per person attending SSS by households amounts to USD$ 148. �We presume that anybody, the NPP included, proposing this policy will opt to take up 84.6% (USD $118.4) of this household cost build-up,� the group noted. They added: �this 84.6% represent expenditure items such as school fees (42.9%), food, boarding and lodging (27.6%), books supplies (9.7%), uniform and sports (35%) and PTA dues (2.5%) according to GLSS 5, (pg 124).� �We are less inclined to adjust the figure for inflationary pressures because we expect that, in the worst case scenario, inflation will peak from current commendable single-digit levels of 8.5% to 18.13% recorded in December, 2008 in the medium term. The Centre however argued that it would make less economic and implementation sense for anybody to attempt to pay for transportation to and fro school, as well as extra classes under this policy,� the statement added. According to their estimation under option one, an amount of UDS$49,040.096 will be needed in the first year of implementation. �In two years time, when full enrolment is achieved for all three classes, it will cost UDS$ 174,714,355 for 1,475,628 beneficiaries. In 2018, there will be 1,809,559 beneficiaries at a cost of UDS$ 214,251,785.60 under option one, �the Centre said. The statement however added that if the NPP intends to make a grandstanding pronouncement for all students, that is 1,101,258 in SHS and SHS 1-3 in 2014 for the option two, then the additional cost outlay would be USD$ 130,388,947.20 in the first year. To offset transport cost, the group had proposed increases in fleet of school buses for most deprived schools to shuttle day students.