The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has assured students that adequate provisions have been made to ensure uninterrupted feeding in all senior high schools (SHSs) as they reopen for the 2026/2027 academic year. This assurance was given during a visit to Asankragua SHS and Asankragua Senior High Technical School (SHTS) in the Western Region. The minister also announced that President John Dramani Mahama has directed a review of the SHS menu to improve the quality and nutritional value of meals served to students.
The review of the SHS menu will include the provision of eggs and chicken to enhance the nutritional value of meals. Mr. Iddrisu emphasized that he will follow up to examine the data and ensure that students do not lack food. The government's efforts to upgrade school infrastructure and improve the learning environment are also being supported by the minister's visits to rural and Category C schools across the country.
The visits aim to assess how students are reporting on the first day of the academic year, examine the facilities available to them, and identify areas requiring attention. This initiative provides the ministry with an opportunity to engage school authorities and students directly on challenges affecting teaching, learning, and student welfare. The assurance on feeding comes amid the government's efforts to address challenges associated with the implementation of the Free SHS programme.
For the 2026 fiscal year, the government has allocated GH¢4.2 billion for feeding under the programme, as part of a total allocation of GH¢9.6 billion to support the schools. The increased attention to feeding forms part of broader measures to improve the quality of Free SHS and ensure that students can learn in an environment where their basic welfare needs are adequately addressed.
Meanwhile, some parents and guardians of newly placed SHS students have expressed mixed reactions to the admission process. While some described it as smooth and straightforward, others complained about delays, queues, and the repetition of information already submitted online. A Daily Graphic team visited some SHSs in Accra to observe the reporting of Form One students for the 2026-2027 academic year.
At Accra High School and Accra Academy, some parents said they had encountered little difficulty and had been able to move through the various stages relatively quickly. However, others said the process had taken several hours, raising concerns about the efficiency of some of the procedures. One parent questioned why information entered during the online admission process had to be provided again at the school.
The Headmistress of Accra High School, Evelyn Sagbil Nabia, said the admission process at the school had been smooth, consistent with the experience of some parents who said they had moved through the admission stages without significant difficulty. However, the contrasting account from some parents shows that the experience has not been uniform for all parents, with waiting times and the various stages involved in the process emerging as concerns for some.
Key points
- The government has allocated GH¢4.2 billion for feeding under the Free SHS programme for the 2026 fiscal year.
- President John Dramani Mahama has directed a review of the SHS menu to improve the quality and nutritional value of meals served to students.
- The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has assured students that adequate provisions have been made to ensure uninterrupted feeding in all senior high schools.
