Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has criticised the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme under the National Democratic Congress administration, while Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has rejected his assessment and defended government’s management of the policy.
Dr Bawumia argued that the programme had deteriorated under the current administration, particularly in relation to feeding arrangements and access to the policy.
He made the remarks during the NPP National Delegates Conference at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on October 3, 2026, where he questioned the government’s handling of the flagship education initiative.
According to Dr Bawumia, the quality of meals provided to students had declined despite assurances that the NDC administration would improve feeding arrangements under Free SHS.
He also criticised the placement of Basic Education Certificate Examination graduates into the programme, claiming that some qualified students had been excluded while frustrated parents were being informed that their children had not secured placement.
The former Vice President further accused the government of failing to honour its earlier commitment to abolish the double track system introduced under the NPP administration to accommodate increased enrolment following the implementation of Free SHS.
Dr Bawumia argued that the NDC had previously criticised the double track arrangement but had not fulfilled its promise to eliminate it.
He maintained that the Free SHS policy would operate more effectively if the NPP returned to government, while accusing the NDC of having previously criticised the programme before recognising its impact on households across Ghana.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has, however, strongly disputed the assessment.
Mr Iddrisu argued that some of the difficulties currently confronting the Free SHS programme were inherited from the previous administration and said the government had undertaken measures to improve its implementation.
He said Dr Bawumia should reconsider his description of the programme as being in crisis, arguing that government had reviewed the policy and its financing arrangements.
The Education Minister also rejected claims that students were not receiving adequate food, explaining that government had reviewed the mechanism for financing feeding under Free SHS.
He attributed improvements in food supply to the uncapping of the GETFund, which he said had enabled government to make adequate food available to Senior High Schools across the country.
Mr Iddrisu also challenged Dr Bawumia’s description of tuition as an achievement introduced under the NPP’s Free SHS policy.
He argued that tuition had historically been free within Ghana’s public education system since independence and therefore said the claim that the NPP introduced free tuition did not accurately reflect the history of education financing in the country.
The Education Minister maintained that the government remained committed to strengthening Free SHS, resolving existing challenges and ensuring that students and schools receive the resources required for the programme to function effectively. His response to Dr Bawumia’s criticisms was reported on October 7, 2026.
