The headmistress of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Girls Senior High School at Kenyasi in the Ahafo Region has admitted before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that GHC357,000 allocated for student feeding was redirected to cover other operational expenses at the school.
Madam Beatrice Adongo made the disclosure during the PAC’s sitting in Kumasi, where financial management practices at second-cycle institutions came under scrutiny. She explained that mounting financial pressure forced management to take the decision in order to keep the school functioning, despite acknowledging that the action was irregular.
According to figures contained in the Auditor-General’s report, the school received GHC682,000 for feeding. However, only GHC324,000 was applied to its intended purpose, with the remaining GHC357,000 channelled into other areas.
The disclosure is part of a wider pattern identified by the committee. The committee also identified similar breaches in five other senior high schools, including Hwidiem Senior High School (SHS) and Acherensua SHS, raising broader concerns about financial discipline across the sector.
Chairperson of the committee, Abena Osei Asare, cautioned heads of institutions against the misuse of earmarked funds and stressed the need for strict adherence to public financial management laws.
She further called on the Ministry of Education to address delays in the release of funds to schools, noting that such lapses often contribute to unauthorised financial decisions by administrators.
The PAC hearing comes at a time when Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) feeding programme is already under strain. A high-level meeting convened by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu on 17 April 2026 to address food supply concerns ended without resolution after the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) administrator declined to implement a ministerial directive during the session. The Ghana Education Service subsequently released outstanding funds for food procurement on 20 April 2026.
