The Member of Parliament for Atiwa East and former Deputy Minister for Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, has raised concerns over the growing use of Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) resources to finance the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) feeding programme, warning that the trend could undermine the Fund’s core mandate of supporting educational infrastructure development.
She made the remarks during discussions on education financing, questioning the allocation of significant GETFund resources to recurrent expenditure, particularly student feeding, at a time when several educational infrastructure projects across the country remain unfinished.
Her comments follow disclosures by the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, that GHS4.2 billion has been earmarked from GETFund to support Free SHS feeding in 2026.
The Minister noted that the amount represents about 42 per cent of the Fund’s total allocation for the year.
Abena Osei-Asare argued that while the feeding component of the Free SHS policy remains important, diverting such a large share of GETFund resources to recurrent expenditure could slow progress on critical infrastructure such as classrooms, laboratories, and dormitories.
She therefore urged the Minister for Finance to make stronger budgetary provisions for GETFund in the 2027 national budget to ensure the completion of stalled projects and to safeguard the Fund’s original purpose of improving educational infrastructure.
The Atiwa East legislator stressed that sustained investment in school facilities is essential to improving access to quality education nationwide.
Responding to concerns, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu defended the allocation, reiterating government’s commitment to sustaining the Free SHS programme while addressing broader sector needs.
He acknowledged, however, the need to review GETFund’s financing structure to ensure a stronger focus on basic and foundational education outcomes.
