On September 12, Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu confirmed that the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) will allocate GH¢250 million this year to expand infrastructure in Category A senior high schools. The move comes as the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme has pushed enrolments beyond the capacity of many of the country’s most sought‑after schools.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Mr Iddrisu said he had already discussed the allocation with the GETFUND administrator and that the funds would be used to add new classrooms and two dormitories—male and female—at schools such as Achimota, Wesley Girls, Holy Child, PRESEC and Prempeh College. He added that the World Bank‑funded programme would address other infrastructure needs.
The minister noted that the expansion will help ease the pressure on the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS), where demand for places far exceeds available capacity. He also defended the government’s broader investment in community‑based secondary schools, citing a planned model day school in Nima, Ayawaso, and a $300 million project that President John Mahama will inaugurate once procurement is complete.
Beyond the immediate placement crisis, Mr Iddrisu urged a re‑balancing of resources toward foundational learning, arguing that too much is spent on secondary education at the expense of basic literacy and numeracy. He highlighted the government’s GH¢3.4 billion spend on the school feeding programme as a positive intervention at the primary level.
As Ghana tackles the challenges of a growing student population, the new allocation is expected to provide much-needed relief to the country’s flagship schools and support the long‑term goal of equitable education access.
