Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee reveals that Ghana's senior high schools are diverting student feeding grants to cover daily operational costs due to funding delays.
Ghana’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a stern warning regarding the management of public funds in secondary schools, revealing that many senior high schools (SHSs) are diverting feeding grants to cover daily operational expenses.
This trend, which has become a focal point of recent legislative scrutiny, stems from persistent delays in the release of government operational funds.. During a public hearing in Kumasi, the PAC noted that school administrators are increasingly forced to choose between keeping the lights on and ensuring students are properly fed.. The committee, led by chairperson Abena Osei Asare, stressed that this practice directly threatens the integrity of the Free SHS feeding program and places an unnecessary burden on the nutritional welfare of students across the country.
The Financial Strain Behind the Diversion
The 2024 Auditor General’s report on pre-university institutions provides a stark look at the fiscal instability within these schools.. At Hwidiem Senior High School, for instance, a significant gap emerged between allocation and execution: out of GHc 530,000 intended for perishable goods and student meals, only GHc 147,000 actually reached the kitchen.. The remaining GHc 383,000 was redirected to cover recurrent costs, such as electricity, water, and essential administrative maintenance.. When essential operational grants fail to arrive from the central government, headmasters are often left with no choice but to dip into the only available liquidity—the feeding budget—to prevent a total shutdown of school activities.
This administrative reality creates a cycle of systemic failure.. By using student welfare funds as a bridge for operational shortfalls, schools are essentially borrowing from the future to survive the present.. While the intent is to maintain the standard of education, the cost is a degradation of the very support systems promised to students and their families.. Without timely releases from the Ministry of Education, the logistical strain on school authorities continues to worsen, leading to a precarious balance where students remain the ultimate casualties of budgetary bureaucracy.
Moving Toward Accountability
Looking ahead, the PAC has tasked the Ghana Education Service (GES) with bridging this gap through more robust advocacy and financial management.. There is an urgent need for the Ministry of Education to align the release of operational funds with the actual academic calendar, rather than relying on reactive budgeting.. If the current trend of diversion continues, the state risks not only wasting public resources but also undermining the long-term success of the Free SHS initiative.. For parents and students alike, the expectation remains that government-funded programs must be managed with transparency to ensure that every cedi reaches its intended destination—the school plate.