Claims of tensions between the Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Mr Paul Adjei, and the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, have been dismissed by a source familiar with deliberations at a recent high-level meeting at the Ministry of Education.
According to the source, who was present at the meeting and is a member of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) but wants to remain anonymous, there was no confrontation or defiance during the engagement, contrary to reports circulating in sections of the media.
The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Ministry of Education, brought together leadership of CHASS, representatives of the Conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (COPTI), officials from the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Secretariat, the GETFund Administrator, the GETFund Board Chairman, and other key stakeholders within the secondary school feeding and procurement chain.
Discussions at the meeting reportedly focused on persistent procurement and payment delays affecting the supply of perishable food items and recurrent expenditures for Senior High Schools, challenges stakeholders warned could disrupt feeding and school operations if not addressed urgently.
“At no point during the meeting did the GETFund Administrator challenge or refuse to comply with any directive from the Minister,” the source stated, adding “implementation of directives happens after deliberations, not during them, so the narrative of defiance does not reflect what transpired.”
The source described reports portraying the meeting as heated or confrontational as a misrepresentation of a discussion that was largely measured and issue‑driven. While stakeholders expressed concern over operational bottlenecks, the engagement reportedly maintained a professional tone throughout.
Although the meeting ended without a final resolution, participants agreed on the need for further consultations to address procurement and funding challenges, particularly those affecting the feeding of students under the Free SHS programme.
Concerns have also been raised among participants about how details of what was intended to be a confidential, in‑camera meeting quickly found their way into the public domain.
Some stakeholders questioned whether the proceedings were accurately captured in subsequent reportage.
Some persons familiar with developments within the Ministry say the underlying political and administrative tensions may be influencing the current situation as many believe the GETFund Administrator did little to support the NDC when in opposition. These persons claim that questions have been raised internally about the suitability and political alignment of certain appointments made at GETFund.
According to the source, the GETFund Administrator used the opportunity to clarify issues relating to Commitment Authorization, explaining that existing procedures allow GETFund to initiate certain procurement processes, rather than some of the institutions referenced during earlier verbal exchanges.
Beyond the immediate controversy, observers say the episode highlights broader institutional tensions within the education sector, especially regarding procurement authority and coordination among agencies.
They caution that while ministerial intervention is sometimes necessary to unblock administrative challenges, such actions must be exercised within clearly defined frameworks to avoid overlaps and uncertainty in implementation.
