President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transforming Ghana’s secondary education system, outlining a comprehensive set of reforms aimed at strengthening infrastructure, improving funding reliability, and ensuring equitable access for all students.

Speaking at the 65th Anniversary Celebration of Ghana Secondary School in Tamale, the President traced the evolution of the country’s secondary education structure and detailed the measures his government is implementing to address persistent challenges.

Addressing a packed gathering of students, educators, alumni, and community leaders, President Mahama reflected on the long journey of Ghana’s educational system.

He noted that reforms have been a constant feature of national development, beginning with the O-level and A-level system inherited from colonial times, transitioning into the junior high and senior high school structure, and later incorporating the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy.

Each stage, he explained, brought opportunities and challenges that required deliberate policy adjustments. “There have been various transformations,” he said, acknowledging that while the system has evolved, key structural issues remained unresolved.

He highlighted the longstanding frustration of headteachers, who struggled for years with delayed funding that hampered the smooth operation of schools.

Speaking to the historic difficulties schools faced, he recalled how “headmasters like Headmaster Douglas and his staff were always frustrated because the money to run the schools always came late. And so they had to turn into beggars to go around begging for food for the children.”

Ending Free SHS Funding Challenges

President Mahama said his administration has taken decisive steps to end this cycle. According to him, the introduction of dedicated funding through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has significantly improved the timely release of resources to schools and the National Food Buffer Stock Company.

This intervention, he stressed, has ensured that “children who are in school here are well fed,” eliminating the sense of desperation that previously plagued school administrators.

Turning to the contentious issue of school placement, the President acknowledged that the system had faced consistent problems tied to how secondary schools were categorised.

He explained that the current structure, which places schools into Category A, B, and C, has contributed to inequities because half of Ghana’s student population relies on infrastructure located in the lower-tiered Category B and C schools. This imbalance has long influenced parental preferences and complicated placement outcomes.

To bridge the gap, President Mahama said his administration is committed to expanding infrastructure in Categories B and C schools, with the goal of elevating them to the level of Category A institutions.

He noted that this initiative aligns with the government’s budgetary focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) facilities, explaining that “as the finance minister said in the budget, we’re going to do STEM laboratories for them so that we can expand those category C schools to either category B or category A.”

The President emphasised that the goal is to ensure that any school a Ghanaian child is placed in becomes a place of opportunity rather than anxiety. By strengthening capacity across schools, he believes the system will become more equitable and boost student confidence.

“In order that any school that any Ghanaian child gets, he will feel confident that he has a good chance of making it into tertiary education”.
President John Dramani Mahama

Completion Abandoned E-Blocks

A key highlight of his address was the renewed commitment to completing abandoned E-block community day schools. These structures, initiated during his first administration, were designed to expand access to secondary education and improve learning environments especially in underserved communities.

President Mahama revealed that his government has identified 30 of these uncompleted E-blocks and plans to finish them by the year 2026. According to him, completing these facilities is not only a matter of fulfilling an earlier education expansion vision but also a practical step toward easing congestion and increasing access in the secondary school system.

He stressed that these blocks represent vital capacity needed to accommodate the growing number of students benefiting from Free SHS. President Mahama’s remarks in Tamale suggest a continued prioritisation of education as a foundation for Ghana’s long-term development.

By addressing long-standing administrative bottlenecks, expanding school infrastructure, and improving the fairness of the placement system, his administration aims to modernise secondary education and equip young Ghanaians for a competitive future.

His emphasis on dependable funding, quality enhancement across all school categories, and completion of critical infrastructure projects paints the picture of a government seeking not only to expand access but also to ensure that quality is evenly distributed across the country.

The President concluded by reiterating his belief that Ghana’s transformation rests on the shoulders of a strong, well-supported education system—and pledged that under his leadership, that vision will be actively pursued.