GES begins disbursement of SHS feeding funds amid food supply concerns
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has released outstanding funds for the purchase of perishable food items for Senior High and Technical Schools across the country, following weeks of pressure on the school feeding programme.
A press statement dated Monday, April 20, 2026, and signed by the Head of Public Relations, Mr Daniel Fenyi, said the Service had received the funds and had begun steps to transfer them to the various schools. It added that measures had been put in place to track the use of the funds and keep spending within the approved purpose.
In a separate interview, Mr Fenyi said the government had disbursed the full amount required for perishables and that the funds were with GES for onward transfer. “I can confirm that the monies have been released. We expect that by the close of day tomorrow or at the latest by the end of the week, school accounts will be credited,” he said.
He explained that school feeding is divided into perishable and non-perishable items. Non-perishables, including rice and other grains, are supplied by the National Food Buffer Stock Company and remain in stock. He said delays in funding for perishables had caused concern among school heads, but maintained that schools would not shut down because non-perishable supplies were available.
The development follows a meeting called by the Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, on April 17, 2026, to address growing concerns over food supply in schools, which ended without agreement.
The closed-door meeting brought together the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), the Conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (COPTI), and the Free SHS Secretariat. After hearing from the groups, Mr Iddrisu directed the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to maintain an existing arrangement that allows CHASS to procure perishable food items directly. The GETFund Administrator did not carry out that directive during the meeting.
The main concern centred on the purchase of perishables such as vegetables, meat and eggs, which had become difficult due to delays in funding. CHASS and COPTI had petitioned the Ministry, pointing to rising costs and pressure on school budgets.
CHASS warned that schools might be forced to suspend academic work if funds were not released quickly, raising fears of disruption across public secondary schools.
The National Secretary of CHASS, Mr Primus Baro, said that while non-perishable items were available, the lack of funds for fresh produce was affecting the feeding programme.
The Free SHS feeding programme serves more than 1.2 million students nationwide. In the 2026 budget, GETFund was named as the main source of funding for Free SHS, with GH¢4.2 billion allocated to the programme.
In December 2025, GES announced the payment of outstanding feeding grants, including funds for perishables owed to Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools for the period July 29 to October 17, 2025.
GES said a follow-up statement with details of the disbursement would be issued.
