The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has requested the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to allocate an amount of GH¢65 million specifically to support schools for students with special needs in its 2026 budget.
The allocation, according to the Minister, is intended to ensure that the academic challenges confronting the over 9,000 students with special needs across the country are addressed.
Mr Iddrisu, who announced this during a stakeholder engagement meeting with Heads of Special and Integrated Senior High Schools in Accra yesterday, said the directive to the GETFund forms part of broader reforms by the government in the area of disability education.
He emphasised that the government is committed to improving the learning conditions of children with diverse disabilities in the country, and one way of achieving this is by ensuring strong financial support for their schools.
“We are preparing a Cabinet Memo for the attention of the President and my colleagues in Cabinet to take a major decision on the future of special needs education in Ghana,” he stated.
He added that the memo would guide a major policy decision on the future of special needs education in Ghana.
Mr Iddrisu explained that the meeting, the first of its kind, was a crucial step towards gathering the necessary data, cost analysis, and expert insights required to finalise a Cabinet Memo for the President.
As part of the reforms, the government is seeking an annual allocation of GH¢100 million to support special needs students, and hopes the funds will be provided by GETFund.
He stressed that a more sustainable funding model to guarantee consistent support for learners with disabilities is crucial to move them away from the long-standing grant-dependent system that often leaves schools financially strained.
“As part of planned reforms, the Ministry is exploring the possibility of doubling the current unfunded grant from GH¢8 to GH¢15 per student per day, noting the increasing costs associated with supporting learners with disabilities,” he said.
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that all learners with special needs fully benefit from the free education policy, while investing in infrastructure upgrades, enhanced school accessibility, and the provision of modern assistive devices.
He also revealed that the GETFund would extend free tertiary education to all persons with disabilities, significantly widening access to education from basic to tertiary level.
According to him, President Mahama intends to introduce a “new, predictable, and sustainable funding model” that guarantees consistent support for learners with special needs, enabling them to move away from the long-standing grant-dependent system that often leaves schools financially strained.
The engagement brought together officials from the Special Education Division and heads of both special and integrated schools, marking a significant step towards the anticipated reforms in Ghana’s special needs education sector.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
🔗 Follow Ghanaian Times WhatsApp Channel today. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
🌍 Trusted News. Real Stories. Anytime, Anywhere.
✅ Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
