Monday, 14 September 2026

Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026

Monday, 14 September 2026

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Ghanaian press · Event

Free Senior High School

Also known as: FSHS

2026-05-052026-09-14

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

May 2026
5 MayJoy Online
The National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) says it requires at least GH¢770 million to purchase excess rice and other grains from farmers nationwide, amid concerns over limited market access and delays in government procurement under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) pro …
NAFCO needs GH¢770m to purchase excess rice and grains from farmers
5 MayJoy Online
… The Association said that although it appreciated the government’s continued investment in the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, there was an urgent need to prioritise foundational education to ensure long-term national development. …
GNAT advocates increased funding for basic education

Society

Education Minister Haruna acknowledges SHS placement challenges

The News

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has acknowledged shortcomings in this year's Computerised School Selection and Placement System but disputed characterising the process as a failure, attributing the crisis to infrastructure that failed to keep pace with Free SHS expansion. According to the minister, roughly 604,000 students are in the placement system, of which 527,000 (about 87 per cent) have been placed.

9 hours ago · The Chronicle →

Today

Education Minister Haruna acknowledges SHS placement challenges
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has acknowledged shortcomings in this year's Computerised School Selection and Placement System but disputed characterising the process as a failure, attributing the crisis to infrastructure that failed to keep pace with Free SHS expansion. According to the minister, roughly 604,000 students are in the placement system, of which 527,000 (about 87 per cent) have been placed.
9 hours ago · The Chronicle →

Yesterday

Free SHS expansion lacked matching infrastructure, education minister says
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu says the previous NPP administration's Free Senior High School policy expanded access to secondary education but failed to provide adequate infrastructure to accommodate the resulting increase in student numbers, creating pressure on senior high schools and contributing to the current SHS placement crisis.
13 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Education Minister calls for shift in spending toward basic literacy
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has criticized excessive public spending on secondary education and called for Ghana to redirect greater resources toward foundational learning at the basic education level, arguing that strong literacy skills acquired early significantly improve students' prospects of later academic success.
13 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Saturday 12 September

GETFund to allocate GH¢250m for Category A SHS expansion
Ghana's Education Minister has requested that the Ghana Education Trust Fund allocate GH¢250 million this year to expand infrastructure in Category A senior high schools, citing rising student numbers under the Free SHS programme. The funds will support facilities expansion at schools including Achimota, Wesley Girls', Wesley College, PRESEC, and Prempeh College.
12 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 11 September

Iddrisu questions Adutwum's offer to advise on education
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has questioned what advice he could seek from predecessor Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum on Ghana's education challenges, saying the current administration inherited an education sector facing infrastructure deficits, food shortages under Free SHS, and the burden of the double-track system introduced under Adutwum's tenure.
11 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 10 September

Education crisis: exam results, placement failures demand national dialogue
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin called for an honest national conversation on Ghana's education system, citing concerns over WAEC exam results and JHS placement challenges. He noted 183,233 students completed secondary education without a credit in Core Mathematics, English Language credit pass rates fell to 62.40 percent (lowest in four years), and 54,985 BECE candidates were initially denied automatic placement into SHS.
10 September 2026 · Daily Guide →

Wednesday 9 September

Ghana's tablet initiative faces discipline challenges in schools
Ghana's One Student–One Tablet initiative, launched in March 2024 to support secondary and TVET students with educational resources, has successfully expanded technology access. However, according to a teacher and school counsellor, many students use the devices for gaming, entertainment, and social activities rather than for learning, raising questions about whether sufficient preparation exists for responsible use.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
NPP raises concerns over WASSCE results and BECE placement failures
The New Patriotic Party has called for a national conversation on education, citing 183,233 students who completed secondary school without a credit pass in Core Mathematics, an English Language credit pass rate of 62.40 per cent (its lowest in four years), and allegations that 54,985 BECE candidates were initially denied automatic placement despite reported vacancies.
9 September 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →

Tuesday 8 September

Education Ministry: full Category A schools cannot change placements
The Press Secretary to the Education Minister explained that placement requests cannot be resolved for Category A or certain Category B schools that have reached full capacity, though Category C schools still have vacancies available.
8 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 3 September

Peace Council condemns violent clashes between rival schools
The National Peace Council has condemned violent clashes between students of Okuapeman and Mount Sinai Senior High Schools in Akuapem North Municipality, following the arrest of 10 students. A Peace Council director said the longstanding school rivalry could not justify arson or violence, and called for investigations into underlying causes and accountability for those responsible.
3 September 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 31 August

KNUST SHS weighs admission cuts due to infrastructure shortage
KNUST Senior High School in Kumasi is considering reducing enrollment for the next academic year amid severe infrastructure deficits that threaten academic quality. The school's 4,121 students and 245 staff are straining existing facilities, with 10 classes housed in an abandoned structure, and management says the government's only infrastructural intervention since the Free Senior High School policy has been construction of an emergency boys' dormitory.
31 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Centre for Policy Scrutiny to review Free SHS programme implementation
Ghana's Centre for Policy Scrutiny will present a paper tomorrow examining the country's nine-year experience with the Free Senior High School programme, focusing on access, quality, and educational outcomes, and assessing whether expansion in enrolment has been matched by improvements in learning outcomes and adequate resources.
31 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 26 August

Centre for Policy Scrutiny to review Free SHS after nine years
The Centre for Policy Scrutiny will hold a public lecture on September 1, 2026, to review Ghana's Free Senior High School programme nine years after its implementation, examining access expansion alongside concerns about learning outcomes, infrastructure, teaching resources, and financial sustainability.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Sunday 23 August

NDC has failed to deliver key 2024 campaign promises, says Afenyo-Markin
The Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the NDC government of failing to deliver tangible achievements on major campaign promises, citing the 24-Hour Economy policy and Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative as unfulfilled commitments that lack visible results.
23 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 19 August

GES denies false Free SHS payment directive claim
The Ghana Education Service has dismissed viral social media reports claiming the Free SHS policy has been cancelled and parents directed to pay GH¢1,500 for items like chop boxes and trunks, calling the publication false and urging parents to ignore it and rely only on official GES communications.
19 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 18 August

GES denies Free SHS cancellation, warns against chop box payments
The Ghana Education Service has dismissed social media claims that the Free SHS policy has been cancelled and that parents must pay GH¢1,500 for chop boxes and trunks, stating the policy remains in effect and the Director-General has not issued such a directive.
18 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ga-Dangme leaders warn against land sales to outsiders
The Stool Secretary of the Tema Traditional Council has urged Ga-Dangme communities to protect their lands and cultural practices, warning that increasing sales to outsiders threaten future generations, especially when proceeds are not invested in sustainable development and education.
18 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 13 August

Mahama: government improving Free SHS, not cancelling it
President John Mahama has reiterated his government's commitment to improving the Free Senior High School programme, dismissing campaign claims that he intends to abolish the policy. He said his administration aims to resolve challenges that have emerged since the programme's introduction in 2017.
13 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 4 August

Free SHS has diminished BECE's role as gatekeeper exam
Africa Education Watch's Executive Director argues that the Basic Education Certificate Examination's relevance has significantly diminished since the introduction of Free Senior High School policy in 2017/2018. Previously, BECE determined which students could enter secondary school and assigned them to schools; now it primarily serves as a placement tool since secondary education is guaranteed to all candidates.
4 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 27 July

Government borrowing for salaries undermines economy claims, Boako says
Dr Gideon Boako, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament's Finance Committee, argues that Ghana's economy cannot be described as healthy if it continues borrowing to finance recurrent expenditure such as public sector salaries and the Free Senior High School programme, saying the government's actions contradict its claims of economic recovery.
27 July 2026 · The Chronicle →

Friday 24 July

Parliament defers 2026 mid-year budget review debate to Tuesday
Parliament postponed debate on the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review from Friday to Tuesday, July 28, to allow legislators time to study the fiscal policy document. Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presented the review highlighting improvements in macroeconomic indicators and government plans for infrastructure, agriculture, education and social protection.
24 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 21 July

Free SHS should be funded with local revenue, not loans
Dr Gideon Boako, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament's Finance Committee, has argued that the Free SHS policy should be financed through domestic revenue rather than borrowed funds, insisting that improving domestic revenue mobilisation is the most sustainable way to finance the flagship education programme.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Enforce existing anti-graft laws, not new ones – Osei-Opare
Former Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare has called for stricter enforcement of existing anti-corruption laws rather than the passage of new ones, arguing that the country's challenge lies not in drafting laws but in implementing those already in place regardless of which government is in power.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 20 July

Cabinet approves $300 million World Bank secondary education package
Ghana's Cabinet has approved a $300 million World Bank financing package to support infrastructure development in senior high schools, with Parliament expected to ratify the agreement. The funds will support the expansion and improvement of school infrastructure, including classrooms and dormitories, to strengthen the Free SHS policy and phase out the double-track system.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Gov't to rehabilitate 150 second-cycle schools under Free SHS
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced that 150 second-cycle institutions—112 senior high schools and 38 TVET institutions—have been selected for a rehabilitation programme to improve infrastructure, including dormitories, classroom blocks, and science laboratories, as part of efforts to strengthen the Free SHS policy.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Event thinking mindset slowing Ghana's national development
Ghana's governance relies on reactive, event-based responses to isolated problems rather than systems thinking that addresses underlying structural causes, an approach the author argues is a deep psychological obstacle to development.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Mahama cabinet approves dedicated TVET Fund for Ghana
President John Mahama and Cabinet have approved in principle the establishment of a dedicated Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Fund to strengthen skills development, with the fund expected to become operational in January 2027 after funding arrangements are finalized. The fund will finance workshop construction and modern equipment for technical institutions to improve practical skills training.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 6 July

Government to introduce 20% rural allowance for teachers
The Education Minister announced that the government will introduce a 20 per cent rural posting allowance for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach communities, aimed at attracting and retaining teachers in such areas. The government has also reduced the required service period for Study Leave with Pay from three to two years and plans to provide affordable accommodation for teachers through the "Teacher Dabre" initiative.
6 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →

Saturday 4 July

Akufo-Addo calls on African youth to champion education
Addressing the Third West Africa Youth Summit in Accra, former President Akufo-Addo urged young Africans to become advocates for education, calling it the continent's most important investment for sustainable development. He highlighted his Free SHS programme, which removed financial barriers that had denied close to one million Ghanaian children secondary education over about ten years.
4 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 2 July

Government launches dedicated GETFund support for special needs learners
The Government has launched a new initiative under the amended Ghana Education Trust Fund Act to provide dedicated financial support for learners with special educational needs, aimed at strengthening inclusive education. Under the intervention, GETFund will assume full responsibility for feeding costs of all learners enrolled in public special schools and integrated schools across the country.
2 July 2026 · Joy Online →