By Josephine Kekeli Amuzu
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing access to education by allocating GH¢3.5 billion to the Free Secondary Education Programme and expanding free tertiary education for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Presenting the 2025 budget to Parliament, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson emphasized that President John Mahama is dedicated to addressing funding challenges in the education sector.
He announced plans to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to provide a sustainable source of financing for both free secondary education and free tertiary education for PWDs.
“The President is committed to ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder access to quality education. By uncapping the GETFund, we will make dedicated funds available to fully finance free secondary education and extend free tertiary education to PWDs,” Dr. Forson stated.
With this initiative, qualified PWD students pursuing tertiary education will no longer bear the financial burden of tuition fees, making higher education more accessible.
Additionally, the government has earmarked GH¢564.6 million for the comprehensive provision of free curricula-based textbooks. The allocation will cover:
Four (4) sets of KG books and workbooks for approximately 8 million learners.
Four (4) sets of primary textbooks for 800,000 learners.
Nine (9) sets of JHS 3 textbooks for 540,000 learners.
These efforts are part of the broader No-Fees-Stress initiative, a key social intervention outlined in the 2025 budget. Other programs under this initiative include Free Primary Healthcare and the Ghana Medical Care Trust (MahamaCares), aimed at improving the well-being of Ghanaians.
