The Minister for Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has announced a government decision to review the decentralised Senior High School (SHS) food supply programme.
He cited concerns over food quality, inadequacy and consistency in schools across the country.
Speaking at a media briefing with the Presidential Press Corps in Accra, Mr Iddrisu explained that although the decentralised procurement system, where headmasters, bursars and school management were empowered to handle food procurement, was a key manifesto promise of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), initial implementation has revealed several shortcomings.
“It appears that at many levels, the quantities and quality of the food were just not good enough,” the Minister stated.
Partial reversal of policy on the table
While acknowledging the initial intention to boost local economies by allowing schools to buy food from local suppliers, Mr Iddrisu revealed that the government is considering a partial reversal of the policy.
He explained that, under the proposed new arrangement, up to 40% of perishables will still be supplied by school heads through the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), while bulk items such as grains will be handled centrally by the Ghana Buffer Stock Company and the Ghana Commodity Exchange.
“What is important now is timely, quality delivery of food,” Mr Iddrisu stressed.
Higher education reforms ongoing
The Education Minister also addressed the government’s continuing efforts to improve higher education.
He reaffirmed that the policy focus under President John Dramani Mahama remains on Access, Relevance, and Quality (ARC), and announced measures to expand infrastructure through public-private partnerships.
“We are encouraging some universities to explore partnerships that will not compromise academic integrity but will help expand access to lecture halls and accommodation,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu noted that with the surge in enrolment at the SHS level, largely due to the Free SHS policy, there is now added pressure on tertiary institutions to absorb more students. As a result, he has submitted a request to President Mahama to include the Education Ministry and its agencies in the “Big Push” infrastructure drive.
“We need to act fast to build more facilities—lecture theatres, hostels—to accommodate the next wave of university entrants,” he said.
Double track reform and GETFund support
On the promise to phase out the double track system in SHSs, Mr Iddrisu said the government is piloting a new initiative involving 50 to 60 private schools.
These schools, which previously operated independently, will now be integrated into the school placement system and supported by the state to deliver free SHS education.
“These students will now be trained by private institutions but funded by the government,” the Minister revealed.
As funding remains a critical issue, Mr Iddrisu disclosed that President Mahama has directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to allocate nearly GH¢4 billion specifically for the Free SHS programme.
This marks a shift from the previous funding structure, where resources were largely drawn from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).
With these announcements, the Education Ministry signals both an admission of early policy challenges and a renewed effort to fine-tune major educational interventions ahead of the next academic cycle.
