The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has disbursed GH¢199.47 million to senior high and technical school heads to settle outstanding feeding arrears, easing mounting pressure over delayed payments that had threatened to disrupt school operations.

The release follows an emergency meeting convened by the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, which brought together the GETFund Administrator, Paul Adjei, and leadership of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and the Conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (COPTI).

The meeting was triggered by growing concerns over unpaid bills for perishable food items, which had led to warnings of possible shutdowns in some institutions if the situation persisted.

The latest disbursement is expected to stabilise feeding arrangements across schools operating under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme and avert interruptions to academic activities.

Although earlier reports suggested a standoff between the Minister and the GETFund Administrator over the release of funds, sources familiar with the discussions have dismissed claims of any confrontation.

According to the sources, the Administrator did not oppose the Minister’s directive but rather clarified the Fund’s statutory responsibilities within the current governance and procurement framework.

The Minister had proposed that funds be paid directly to schools to enable them procure perishable food items independently, in a bid to address the urgency of the situation.

However, Mr Adjei is said to have explained that, under the prevailing commitment authorisation structure, procurement responsibilities are vested in GETFund and not external bodies such as the Ghana Education Service, cautioning that any deviation could undermine established administrative and governance processes.

Despite these concerns, GETFund proceeded with the direct release of funds to school heads to facilitate the immediate procurement of perishable food supplies.

Further details indicate that the payment process had faced delays. While a formal request from the Ministry of Education to GETFund was dated April 10, 2026, an earlier memo seeking approval from the Free SHS Secretariat had been submitted to the Minister as far back as January 2026.

The intervention is expected to restore confidence among school authorities and suppliers, while ensuring continuity in feeding programmes that are central to the implementation of the Free SHS policy.