The future of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme has been thrown into uncertainty following a breakdown in negotiations between the Ministry of Education and key implementing agencies on Friday, 17 April 2026. A high-level stakeholder meeting convened by the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to address escalating food supply challenges in schools ended without consensus.
The meeting, held at the Ministry’s headquarters, brought together representatives from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), the National Food Buffer Stock Company, and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund). Discussions centred on the worsening difficulty in procuring perishable food items—particularly vegetables, meat, and eggs—due to persistent delays in funding disbursement.
In an attempt to mitigate the crisis, the Minister proposed that GETFund sustain an arrangement permitting CHASS to independently procure perishable goods. However, stakeholders failed to agree on the modalities of this intervention, resulting in a stalemate.
The impasse follows a formal petition submitted by CHASS and the Conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (COPTI), highlighting the severe financial strain on school administrators. Many heads have reportedly resorted to using personal funds or relying on credit from local suppliers to maintain daily feeding for students, as supplies from the National Food Buffer Stock Company continue to dwindle amid rising inflation.
School authorities have now issued a stark warning: without immediate financial intervention, secondary schools may be forced to shut down. Such an outcome would mark the most significant disruption to the Free SHS policy since its introduction, with potential consequences for the academic calendar and preparations for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The breakdown in talks underscores broader concerns about coordination failures among implementing agencies and the sustainability of the programme’s feeding component. With approximately 1.2 million students enrolled in senior high schools nationwide, the stakes remain critically high.
Stakeholders are expected to reconvene in the coming days in search of a viable and coordinated solution to avert a nationwide disruption.
