Govt has increased allocation for Free SHS in 2026 budget – Dr. Apaak

Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, has stated that the government has increased its allocation for the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme in the 2026 national budget.

In a Facebook post, Dr. Apaak said the move demonstrates President John Dramani’s continued commitment to expanding access to secondary education.

His comments followed an intensive review meeting held between the Ministry of Education and the Heads of Agencies operating under the Ministry. The engagement, he explained, focused on examining the government’s manifesto commitments, enhancing accountability, and deepening collaboration across the education sector to improve learning outcomes nationwide.

According to Dr. Apaak, the session ended with a media briefing by the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, who clarified what he described as “erroneous impressions” about the financing of the Free SHS programme.

Providing details of the funding structure, Dr. Apaak noted that the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has been allocated GH¢9.9 billion, out of which GH¢4.2 billion is dedicated to Free SHS and Free TVET infrastructure and services. He emphasized that this figure represents a 16% increase over the GH¢3.5 billion allocated to Free SHS in the 2025 budget.

“This investment ensures that every Ghanaian child, regardless of background, has access to secondary education,” he wrote, stressing that the increased allocation demonstrates the government’s determination to strengthen education delivery at the pre-tertiary level.

Dr. Apaak further used the Facebook post to underscore the broader framework of social intervention policies being implemented under President John Dramani Mahama. He noted that the administration’s commitments, which came under scrutiny during last year’s electioneering period, are being executed through practical and impactful initiatives.

“Mahama Care is a social intervention policy. No Fee Stress is a social intervention policy. Free education for persons with disabilities is a social intervention policy,” he stated, arguing that these measures respond directly to the needs of ordinary Ghanaians.

According to him, the meeting with the agency heads served as another important step toward ensuring that educational policies are efficiently delivered and aligned with national development goals. The engagement, he added, was geared toward strengthening systems across agencies in ways that ultimately “translate into improvement in teaching, learning and educational outcomes for all Ghanaians.”