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The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has challenged claims that 5.1 million students have benefited from the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, asserting that the actual number is 3.9 million. He cautioned that using inflated figures could lead to financial mismanagement and unnecessary resource allocation.
Speaking during his first official meeting with the ministry’s development partners on Wednesday, Mr. Iddrisu stressed the importance of accurate data in government planning.
“Someone may have been using the inflated 5.1 million figure for other purposes because, based on my assessment of the statistics, this number is inaccurate. The actual number of Ghanaian students benefiting from the policy stands at 3.9 million,” he stated.
He warned that planning and allocating resources—especially for food—based on the higher figure could have caused significant financial strain on the government. Since its launch in 2017, the Free SHS initiative has cost over GH¢7 billion, further intensifying concerns over its sustainability.
Mr. Iddrisu highlighted the urgent need for infrastructure development, warning of a looming crisis at the tertiary level due to the rapid expansion of secondary school enrollment. He called for a strategic reallocation of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to ensure balanced funding across all education sectors.
Proposing a 40-20-20-20 formula, he suggested:
– 40% for GETFund’s core mandate
– 20% for Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE)
– 20% for administrative expenses
– 20% for complementary education initiatives
He also advocated for uncapping GETFund, which could free up GH¢3.2 billion to GH¢4 billion, potentially increasing the fund’s total resources to GH¢7.9 billion.
To improve food supply in schools, Mr. Iddrisu announced a shift to decentralized procurement, allowing headmasters and headteachers to oversee food distribution with support from the Ghana Commodity Exchange and the Buffer Stock Company. The government has already released GH¢100 million to address immediate food shortages, with an additional GH¢100 million needed for the next month.
In efforts to phase out the double-track system, he proposed integrating private schools into the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to absorb up to 150,000 students.
The Education Minister emphasized the need for a national discussion on the future of Free SHS, urging stakeholders to focus on sustainable financing, equitable resource distribution, and long-term strategic planning to ensure the policy’s success.
