Government Releases GHC 240 Million For Free SHS

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he government has released for disbursement half of the GHc 486 million earmarked for the government’s Free Senior High School Education policy.

The money is expected to hit the accounts of various public Senior High Schools before they reopen next week for classes to begin.

Available figures indicate that over 400,000 first year students are expected to benefit from the Free SHS this academic year.

A Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, speaking to the press following the release of the money, said her ministry was only waiting on the final enrollment figures from the Ministry of Education.

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“All we are waiting for is the Ministry of Education to tell us the various numbers that have been placed in each school and based on that, we will go ahead and transfer the monies. By Friday [today], the money should hit all the accounts we have been provided with.”

“For the GHc486 million, it is ready and we have issued the first part, that is the 50 percent,” she added.

The Minister urged all the banks involved in the transaction “to expedite action as soon as the funds hit their accounts and draw the attention of the respective schools that the funds have hit their accounts.”

This development is in fulfillment of the Deputy Minister in-charge of pre-tertiary education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum’s assurance to the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS).

CHASS had raised concerns that, although the government had promised that it was going to release funds to them two weeks before re-opening, they were yet to receive the funds.