Free SHS: Education minister announces plan to increase feeding grant

Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced plans by the government to increase the feeding grant for Senior High Schools from GH¢8 to GH¢15 as part of efforts to improve student welfare under the Free Senior High School programme.

He said the proposed increment forms part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening the education sector and ensuring that students receive adequate support while in school.

According to him, government has also directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to absorb GH¢4.2 billion to support the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme.

"We want to introduce free education for all persons with special needs, provide them with the necessary assistive devices, and increase the feeding grant from GHS 8 to GHS 15.

“No student in any Free SHS is struggling to get food to eat because the President directed that GETFund should absorb GH¢4.2 billion. Even though there is a formula which was approved by Parliament last year, an allocation of GH¢4.2 billion has been made to support Free SHS,” he said in an interview on TV3 and monitored by GhanaWeb on March 5, 2026.

Haruna Iddrisu also disclosed that the World Bank is supporting the Education Ministry with $300 million to upgrade school infrastructure by converting some Category ‘C’ schools to ‘B’ and ‘B’ schools to ‘A’.

He explained that the intervention forms part of ongoing reforms aimed at improving the quality of education and learning environments across the country.

The minister further stated that the administration of President John Mahama intends to prioritise investment in basic education.

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“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 with investment and allocations of financial resources more in favour of basic education,” he noted.

Haruna Iddrisu, however, criticised the previous administration of former President Nana Akufo-Addo for introducing the Free SHS policy without adequately expanding infrastructure to accommodate the surge in student enrolment.

“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 stated.

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He added that government is also considering introducing free education for persons with special needs, alongside the provision of assistive devices to support their learning.

On broader reforms within the sector, the minister indicated that the government would work towards “de-boardinisation,” particularly in urban areas, while maintaining boarding facilities in rural and peri-urban communities where access to schools remains limited.

The free SHS policy was introduced by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led administration in 2017 to improve access to senior high school education in the country.

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