Minister of Education inaugurates 7th GETFund board

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on Friday (11 April ) inaugurated the 7th Board of Trustees of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) during a ceremony held at the Fund’s Headquarters in Accra.

The Minister officially administered the oath of office to the newly appointed Chairman and members of the Board.

The newly constituted board is chaired by Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah. Other members include Mr. Masawudu Mahama representing the Ministry of Finance; Rev. Dr. Cyril Gershon Kwao Fayose from the Christian Council of Ghana; Mr. Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the Revenue Agencies Governing Board; and Mr. Paul Adjei, the GETFund Administrator.

Also sworn in were Mrs. Mamle D. Andrews from the Ministry of Education, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, and Mr. John Awuah from the Ghana Bankers Association.

Additional members include Mr. Seth Kobla Aklasi representing the Ghana Insurers Association, Ms. Patience Ablah Ganyo from the National Pensions Regulatory Authority, and Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun representing Technical Universities on a rotational basis. Others are Ms. Philippa Larsen from the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Mr. Daniel Nii Korley Botchway representing the National Union of Ghana Students and Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (in rotation), and Mrs. Grace Amey-Obeng from the Association of Ghana Industries.

The list is completed by Ms. Francisca Atuluk, a female representative from the National Council on Women and Development under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; Mr. Alexander Frimpong from the Ghana Employers Association; and Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis of the Ghana Education Service Council.

In his remarks, the Minister congratulated the board members and urged them to take immediate steps to release approximately GHC 258 million to support the School Feeding Programme.

He emphasized the need for a thorough review of GETFund’s current funding allocations, particularly with regard to the Free Senior High School Programme (FSHSP), cautioning that the Fund's role should be to complement, rather than supplement, the financing of higher education.

He called for a strategic realignment of priorities in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s Reset Agenda. The Minister stressed the importance of investing more substantially in basic education, highlighting the country’s ongoing struggle to fully achieve the goals of Free Compulsory Basic Education (FCUBE) after three decades. To this end, he proposed that 35% of GETFund resources be allocated to basic education and 40% to higher education.

The Minister also spoke about the urgent need for infrastructure development in universities, pointing to the increasing number of student admissions resulting from the FSHSP.

He referred to his recent engagement with the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), which revealed critical shortages of furniture across senior high schools and basic schools nationwide.

Addressing tertiary education and capacity building, the Minister reiterated his commitment to strengthening local scholarship initiatives. He proposed that the Fund support a minimum of five PhD students locally through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), emphasizing merit-based awards and faculty development.

Additionally, he recommended a review of funds allocated to Members of Parliament for education-related projects and suggested the establishment of an emergency budget to address natural disasters affecting schools.

Responding on behalf of the board, Chairman Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah expressed gratitude to the President and the Minister for their appointments.

He assured the Minister that the board would work diligently to address all matters raised. He particularly emphasized the need to complete over 3,500 GETFund infrastructure projects that remain unfinished across the country.

The inauguration marks a renewed commitment to reshaping educational financing and development, with the new board expected to play a central role in driving equity, access, and quality across all levels of education in Ghana.