No SHS will face food shortages again under reviewed Free SHS policy, Haruna Iddrisu assures

Maxwell Nyagamago 16:38 - 11 May 2026

Free SHS In Ghana

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has assured that no Senior High School in Ghana will experience food shortages again under the reviewed Free SHS policy, citing adequate government funding through the amended GETFund law.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu says no SHS in Ghana will face food shortages again under the reviewed Free SHS policy.
Government says adequate funding has been secured through the amended GETFund law to support school feeding.
The reforms aim to stop disruptions where students were previously asked to go home due to lack of food.

Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu has assured that Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country will no longer experience food shortages under the reviewed Free SHS policy.

According to the minister, government has made adequate financial provisions to ensure uninterrupted feeding in schools and prevent situations where students are forced to return home due to lack of food supplies.

ALSO READ: Ghana opens legal training to universities after 68 years, ends Ghana School of Law’s monopoly

Speaking during the commissioning of the National Teaching Council regional office complex in Tamale, Haruna Iddrisu said authorities identified major challenges with food supply under the previous arrangement.

Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu

He stated:

The feeding of Free Senior High School, we came to the realisation that there were many times schools had to be closed down or, in the course of the academic year, students had to be asked to go home because there was inadequate food available.

ALSO READ: Double-Track under Free SHS Policy has negatively affected education - Haruna Iddrisu

He assured that the situation would now become a thing of the past following reforms to the policy and new funding arrangements.

A group of senior high school student carrying their chop boxes and trunks to school

He added:

That is now under a review of the Free Senior High School, a thing of the past. There are adequate resources and adequate funding from that fund to finance Free Senior High School.

Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, says the recurring shortage of food supplies in schools, which previously led to students being sent home, will no longer happen under the reviewed Free SHS policy.
He gave the assurance during the commissioning of the National Teaching… pic.twitter.com/Wp6NgtcRG4
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) May 11, 2026

ALSO READ: Ghana ranks 7th as South Africa and Egypt dominate Africa's electricity generation – See top 10 list

The assurance follows Parliament’s passage of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which effectively uncaps the GETFund to provide sustainable financing for Free SHS and other educational interventions.

Parliament of Ghana

The amended law is expected to support free secondary education, free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, and free education for persons with special needs, while also making the GETFund levy input tax-deductible.

ALSO READ: Ghana rescues 28 citizens who fell victim to human trafficking in Cote D'Ivoire

Lawmakers argued that the reforms became necessary due to increasing pressure on Ghana’s education system amid rising student enrolment and growing infrastructure demands.

Government believes the new funding structure will guarantee continuous financial support for the Free SHS programme and improve conditions in schools nationwide.

Update Me