Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has criticised the level of public spending on secondary education, arguing that Ghana must redirect greater attention and resources towards foundational learning at the basic education level.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 12, Mr Iddrisu said excessive expenditure on secondary education was one of the major setbacks left by the previous administration in Ghana’s education system.

“We are spending too much on secondary education. That is a major damage the previous administration did to Ghana’s education system,” he said.

The Minister argued that education investment should begin with the foundation, where children acquire the literacy and numeracy skills necessary for their subsequent academic development.

“Everywhere in the world, focus, resources, and investment must be aligned to foundational learning, basic education,” he said.

According to Mr Iddrisu, ensuring that children develop strong literacy skills at an early stage significantly improves their prospects of succeeding later in their education.

“If a child gets literacy right, that child is more likely to succeed than in any other situation,” he added.

Mr Iddrisu also cited the cost of implementing government’s education interventions, noting that about GH¢3.4 billion is being spent on the school feeding programme.

He linked the expenditure to the government’s broader investment in education under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, which he said remains an important achievement despite the financial pressures associated with the programme.

The Minister acknowledged the value of providing free secondary education while stressing the need for the country to strike a better balance in how resources are allocated across the education sector.

He also credited President John Mahama’s administration, the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) with efforts to mobilise resources to support the sector.

Mr Iddrisu said GETFund is now in a position to mobilise adequate resources for education, with support from the government and the Ministry of Finance.

He maintained that Ghana's education priorities must ultimately be guided not only by expanding access to secondary education, but also by ensuring that children acquire the basic skills needed to benefit from education at every subsequent level.