By Lawrence Odoom
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has given full assurance to Ghanaians that the government has made comprehensive financial arrangements to guarantee a steady and sufficient food supply for senior high school students under the Free Senior High School programme.
Speaking at the commissioning of the National Teaching Council’s regional office complex in Tamale, the Minister disclosed that government had conducted a thorough review of the Free SHS policy and identified critical bottlenecks hindering its smooth operation, with food supply and student feeding emerging as primary concerns.
“Having examined the feeding of Free Senior High School students, we realised that there were many times that schools had to be closed down or, in the course of the academic year, students had to be asked to go home because there was inadequate food. That is now a thing of the past,” he stated.
Mr. Iddrisu explained that targeted measures have now been instituted to address these challenges and safeguard uninterrupted academic activity across secondary schools nationwide. He acknowledged that previous food shortages had caused significant disruptions, forcing some schools to suspend classes and students to return home prematurely.
However, he stressed that the government has now secured the necessary resources to prevent a recurrence.
The Minister further revealed that financing for the programme has been fortified through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which will provide consistent and reliable support for its implementation.
“There are adequate resources and adequate funding from GetFund to finance Free Senior High School,” he affirmed.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to sustaining and enhancing the flagship policy, Mr. Iddrisu said the reforms reflect a broader resolve to strengthen Ghana’s educational foundation and ensure that no student is denied learning due to avoidable logistical shortfalls.