The then Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced in November last year that the government had invested about GH\u00a28.4 billion in the Free Senior High School programme.<\/p>\n He stated that over the past seven years, about 5.7 million Ghanaians have been able to access quality high school education.<\/p>\n Read the full story originally published on November 17, 2023 by thebftonline.com.<\/p>\n The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has stated that government has so far invested about GH\u00a28.4billion in advancing education at the second cycle level through its flagship Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.<\/p>\n According to him, this investment had made it possible for some 5.7 million Ghanaians to access quality high school education over the past seven years.<\/p>\n Additionally, government has invested GH\u00a23.6billion in the School Feeding Programme (SFP) to increase enrolment and learning outcomes at the basic level of 3.8 million pupils.<\/p>\n Also, GH\u00a2248.5million was invested in the Capitation Grants to support the foundational education of over six million pupils.<\/p>\n The minister made these remarks during his presentation of the 2024 fiscal policy and budget statement on the floor of parliament in Accra, and highlighted the huge investments government has made over the past seven years \u2013 adding that it will \u201ccontinue taking steps to prepare our children for a brighter future and, ultimately, transform society; especially by tackling the root cause of poverty that has afflicted many families from generation to generation.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernment\u2019s flagship Free Senior High School and TVET programme continues to create and expand access to secondary education in the country. In a generation\u2019s time, when we have a more educated population that sustains social mobility and cohesion, we will appreciate the significance of these decisions and investments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Furthermore, providing some insights into educational programmes in the year under review, the minister mentioned that a total of 448,000 first-year SHS students were enrolled on the programme for support \u2013 bringing total beneficiaries for the 2022\/2023 academic year to 1.3 million students.<\/p>\n Under the School Feeding Programme, he indicated that government invested over GH\u00a2740million to feed 3.8 million pupils, ensuring one hot meal a day in over 10,000 public basic schools.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2024, the implementation of these transformative initiatives will continue,\u201d he indicated.<\/p>\n Capitation Grant<\/b><\/p>\n In 2005, the Capitation Grant (CG) was introduced into the country\u2019s educational system \u2013 based on the argument that one reason children in Ghana do not attend school is that their parents cannot afford to pay the levies charged by schools. <\/p>\n Therefore, government set up a grant under which every public primary school receives an amount of GH\u00a23 per pupil enrolled per year.<\/p>\n This policy, which is described as one of the most vital educational policies aimed at reducing the country\u2019s high illiteracy rate at the basic level, the minister emphasised that the scheme received a major boost in the year under review \u2013 easing the financial burden on parents and guardians.<\/p>\n He indicated that feeding grants were provided for some 7,500 students in special schools, and capitation grants to all public basic schools across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThe registration fees of over 471,000 prospective candidates from public JHS for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) were paid to guarantee that all candidates would sit for the examination,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n Watch the latest edition of BizTech below:<\/b><\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/cdn.ghanaweb.com\/imagelib\/pics\/104\/10451720.295.jpg\" "\\"Former")
Former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n