CHASS issues red alert over Free SHS crisis
The heads of assisted secondary schools in Ghana are sounding the alarm over what they describe as a deepening funding crisis within the Free Senior High School programme, with warnings that schools could be forced to shut down if the government does not act swiftly.
Primus Baro, National Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), has characterised the situation as a familiar but worsening pattern, telling JoyNews’ News Desk that funding delays have haunted the Free SHS programme since its very inception.
“Let me indicate also that this is not the first time that we’ve run into these challenges,” he said. “Right from the inception of Free Senior High School, occasionally we run into some periods when money is not released.”
The latest crisis comes on the heels of a stakeholder meeting convened by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to address mounting concerns over food supply shortfalls and operational funding gaps in senior high schools. The meeting, however, ended without a concrete resolution, a development that has deepened anxiety among school administrators across the country.
In response, school heads have issued a formal “red alert,” cautioning that a shutdown of second-cycle institutions could become unavoidable without urgent financial intervention.
Baro acknowledged the immense pressure school managers are operating under, while stressing that navigating difficult conditions is part of the responsibility of leadership.
“We are managers and managing management is part of leadership. So yes, it’s not been easy. It has never been easy,” he said.
CHASS says it is actively engaging the Education Ministry in pursuit of lasting solutions to what has become a cyclical problem, one that Baro warned risks disrupting the academic calendar if left unresolved.
“We hope we will not get there,” he said. “We are only saying that we hope and pray that by the close of day today we will receive news that the issue has been resolved so that the smooth sailing calendar will not be affected.”
As of the time of the interview, he confirmed that CHASS had yet to receive any official communication indicating the matter had been settled.
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