At the heart of a major national policy rollout in Accra, Ghana’s Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, stood firm in championing the Free Sanitary Pad Initiative as a transformative intervention for the country’s basic education system.
Addressing a crowd of students, officials, and traditional leaders, Hon. Iddrisu framed the launch as both a public health response and an enduring social justice milestone that directly confronts the structural barriers limiting girls’ participation in school.
“Today’s milestone, in my words, is to say a terminal end to the unbearable emotional trauma and indignity that young girls go through responding to their natural call. No girl child in Ghana will have her dignity compromised or absent herself from school again”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education
The initiative, formally launched in the presence of President John Dramani Mahama, is designed to eliminate the educational and psychological toll menstruation places on young girls.
Hon. Iddrisu made clear that the measure was a statement of intent by the government to permanently “restore dignity and classroom continuity,” for the Ghanaian girl child.
A Historic Turn
Speaking from a platform that included the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection and parliamentary education stakeholders, Iddrisu commended President Mahama for backing the initiative, centering the policy’s long-term impact on girls and not its political symbolism.
The Minister referred to the initiative as “a historical fact” that would be documented alongside Ghana’s first female Vice President, also appointed under President Mahama.
“A reflection of his unwavering faith and belief in the potential of the girl and the woman demonstrated,” he described the launch in relation to President Mahama.
Yet, the emphasis was unmistakably on the structural fixes needed within the education system to support the girl child, including menstrual hygiene. According to the minister, “the making of history with this initiative prioritizes women’s mental and hygienic health.”
STEM and Language Education
Beyond menstrual health, Hon. Iddrisu laid out a broader education vision that included reforms in curriculum design and subject offerings.
He announced the introduction of STEM kits and dedicated learning cells from Primary Four to Primary Six, an initiative already being supported by the Ghana Education Trust Fund.
“From the end of this year, STEM education will be expanded with practical kits for learners at the basic level. We want to embed science and engineering at the earliest stages”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education
He also revealed that students in Senior High School Two would soon be required to study one foreign language alongside their field of study, offering options such as “French, Spanish, German, and Chinese,” in line with Mahama’s curriculum review plans.
University and Technical Education
Hon. Iddrisu shared the administration’s intent to ensure that each region in Ghana benefits from its own public university.
According to him, Bunso University will be developed into a “multi-campus institution” with sites in Ohawu, Kenyase, and Acherensua. The Pong Tamale Veterinary College will also be incorporated into the University for Development Studies (UDS) as a new department.
In a policy direction aligned with industrial skills development, the Minister announced plans to propose a Technical and Vocational Education Trust Fund (TVET Fund) to cabinet.
The fund is expected to be supported by a “1% allocation from Ghana’s oil revenue” and will focus on strengthening vocational training programs across the country.
“We’ll be looking to learn from the German example to build a solid foundation for technical and vocational education in Ghana”
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education
GES Promotions
On human resource matters, Hon. Iddrisu disclosed that President Mahama had instructed the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education to immediately promote deputy directors who had long awaited elevation due to logistical constraints.
“Even without offices, they’ll serve in their capacity as directors,” Iddrisu assured all teachers who have been denied this promotion for a really long time.
He closed his remarks by reaffirming that the administration’s focus in 2025 would be on quality basic education, promising that free senior high school would be reviewed but not scrapped.
As the event transitioned to a cultural performance and the President’s keynote, it was clear that Hon. Haruna Iddrisu had set the tone for an education-centered policy agenda with gender at its core.
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