Relief has come to heads of Senior High School and technical schools as the government announces the disbursement of over GH¢199 million to settle outstanding debt for perishable supplies in second cycle schools nationwide.

This comes after the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) warned of a potential shutdown of Senior High Schools (SHSs) in Ghana due to delay in funding in procuring perishable goods for second-cycle schools nationwide following the association’s meeting with the Education Minister on Friday ended in a stalemate after stakeholders failed to reach an agreement on what measures could be taken to address a worsening food-supply crisis in schools.

In response to CHASS demands , the academic funding authority in a Facebook post indicated that the “...disbursement covers arrears owed to suppliers under the Free Senior High School (FSHS) Oct -Feb/TVET from Oct to Dec” adding that “the release is expected to ease operational pressures on suppliers and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of essential perishable items to students under both programs”.

The release is expected to ease operational pressures on suppliers and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of essential perishable items to students under both programs.

GetFund also underscored its resolve to meet financial responsibilities.

“This payment reaffirms the Government's commitment to honoring obligations to service providers who support feeding and logistics for FSHS and TVET institutions nationwide”, parts of the statement said.

GETFund remains committed to timely payments and sustained collaboration with stakeholders to strengthen educational service delivery across the country.

GETFund says it remains focused on making timely payments and working closely with stakeholders to improve the delivery of educational services nationwide.

About the Free SHS policy

The Free Senior High School policy was introduced in 2017 by the Akufo-Addo-led government to make secondary education accessible to all eligible students without financial barriers.

The policy was aimed at helping students who struggled to pay tuition, boarding, and other school-related expenses. However, the policy came with its challenges, such as overcrowding and congestion in schools, pressure on infrastructure and facilities, and increased pressure on teachers.

This increased the number of enrollments in the senior high schools that were listed under the Free SHS policy. About 3.5 million students have benefited from the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) program since its launch.

The immediate-past government revealed that it had spent over GH¢12 billion on the implementation of the Free SHS policy since its inception. Meanwhile, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has urged a reassessment of Ghana’s Free SHS initiative, recommending that households with sufficient means contribute financially so that government support can be directed toward students in real need.

During a meeting with Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, the Asantehene suggested a shared funding model, akin to previous arrangements where financial aid was granted to bright but disadvantaged students, while those with the ability to pay covered their own expenses.

“Those who can afford to pay, let’s have a second look at the policy. If someone can afford it, let’s allow them to pay. In the old times, when you passed, the bursary would look for good but needy students and award them scholarships, and those who could afford to pay did so.”