No Free SHS student is struggling for food – Education Minister

Government allocates GHS 4.2 billion through GETFund to sustain Free SHS; World Bank commits $300 million for school upgrades.

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has assured Ghanaians that no student enrolled under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy is struggling to access food.

Speaking on TV3 Ghana on Thursday, February 5, the Minister stated that the government has taken decisive steps to ensure the smooth running of the programme, particularly with regard to feeding and operational costs.

According to him, President John Dramani Mahama directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund to absorb GHS 4.2 billion to support the effective implementation of Free SHS.

“No student in any Free SHS is struggling to get food to eat because the President directed that GETFund should absorb GHS 4.2 billion. Even though there is a formula which was approved by Parliament last year, an allocation of GHS 4.2 billion has been made to support Free SHS,” he explained.

World Bank support for school upgrades

The Minister also disclosed that the World Bank is supporting Ghana’s education sector with a $300 million facility aimed at upgrading school infrastructure.

The funding will be used to convert Category ‘C’ schools to Category ‘B’, and Category ‘B’ schools to Category ‘A’, as part of broader reforms to improve standards and capacity within the system.

“The World Bank supports the Education Ministry with $300 million to convert a number of category ‘C’ schools to ‘B’ and ‘B’ schools to ‘A’,” he stated.

Renewed focus on basic education

Beyond Free SHS, Haruna Iddrisu indicated that the Mahama administration intends to significantly increase investment in basic education.

He emphasised that global evidence shows that strengthening foundational education is critical to improving overall educational outcomes.

“Everywhere in the world, if you want to get your education right, you must invest in basic education. The President hinted at that in the State of the Nation Address. So now, government policy realigns investment and allocations of financial resources more in favour of basic education,” he said.

Criticism of infrastructure gaps

The Minister criticised the previous administration led by Nana Akufo-Addo for what he described as inadequate infrastructure expansion following the launch of the Free SHS policy in 2017.

According to him, while enrolment numbers increased significantly under the policy, corresponding investments in infrastructure — including classrooms, dormitories and lecture theatres — did not keep pace.

“Free Senior High School was launched, but the previous government failed to provide expanded infrastructure and lecture theatres to accommodate the exponential increase in student numbers,” he noted.

New reforms and policy direction

Haruna Iddrisu further outlined plans to introduce free education for persons with special needs, including the provision of necessary assistive devices to support their learning.

He also revealed that the government intends to increase the feeding grant from GHS 8 to GHS 15.

On structural reforms within secondary education, the Minister said the government would work towards gradual “de-boardinisation,” particularly in urban areas, while maintaining boarding facilities in rural and peri-urban communities where access challenges remain significant.

“We must work towards de-boardinisation, and the focus should be on rural and peri-urban areas, while in urban areas we focus on reducing boardinisation,” he said.

The Minister’s remarks signal a renewed push to stabilise and reform Ghana’s education sector, with emphasis on sustainable financing, infrastructure expansion and equity in access — especially at the basic education level.

Source: 3news.com

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