Education Minister Pledges Model SHSs, GH¢250m Boost and 10,000 New Staff as Mfantsipim Marks 150 Years

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu used the historic occasion of Mfantsipim School's 150th anniversary to announce a sweeping package of commitments aimed at transforming Ghana's senior high school landscape, including the establishment of 10 model senior high schools and a GH¢250 million funding injection targeted at the country's leading educational institutions.

What was promised

Speaking at the sesquicentennial celebrations of one of Ghana's most prestigious secondary schools, the minister outlined a vision for elevating the standard of public senior high school education across the country. The centrepiece of his announcement was the planned creation of 10 model senior high schools, institutions that are expected to serve as benchmarks for academic excellence and infrastructure quality nationwide.

Alongside this, Iddrisu pledged GH¢250 million to be directed towards top-performing schools — a move widely seen as an effort to maintain and improve the competitive edge of Ghana's leading educational establishments. As a more immediate gesture towards Mfantsipim itself, the minister promised the school a 66-seater bus to be delivered by 1st January, a practical gift that the student population and administration are likely to welcome.

On the staffing front, the minister confirmed that 10,000 new recruits will be joining the Ghana Education Service in 2027, with 2,000 of those positions earmarked for non-teaching staff. This distinction is significant, as it acknowledges long-standing concerns that schools across the country are under-resourced not just in terms of classroom teachers, but also in administrative, technical and support roles that keep institutions functioning effectively.

Why it matters for Ghana

Mfantsipim School, located in Cape Coast in the Central Region, holds a singular place in Ghanaian history. Founded in 1876, it is among the oldest secondary schools in West Africa and has produced some of Ghana's most distinguished statesmen, academics and professionals. Its 150th anniversary is therefore not merely an institutional milestone — it is a moment of national reflection on the role of education in shaping the country's identity and development.

The minister's pledges, made on such a prominent platform, carry both symbolic and practical weight. Ghana's senior high school system has faced persistent challenges including overcrowding, underfunding and a shortage of qualified staff, all of which have been sharpened by the rollout of the Free Senior High School policy, which significantly increased enrolment numbers. The promise of 10,000 new recruits in 2027 — if fulfilled — would represent one of the largest single injections of human resources into the education sector in recent memory.

The GH¢250 million pledge for top schools will also draw scrutiny, with education advocates likely to watch closely how the funds are distributed and whether schools beyond the traditional elite institutions benefit from the investment.

Reactions and outlook

Announcements of this scale made at high-profile events have historically generated both optimism and scepticism among Ghanaians, who are accustomed to grand promises at ceremonial occasions that sometimes struggle to materialise into concrete action. The specific commitment of a 66-seater bus to Mfantsipim by the new year provides at least one early, verifiable test of the minister's follow-through.

• Education stakeholders will be watching whether the 10 model SHSs are accompanied by detailed implementation timelines and allocated budgets.
• The 2,000 non-teaching staff slots within the 2027 recruitment drive signal a broader understanding of what schools need to function well beyond the classroom.
• Mfantsipim's 150th anniversary has provided a nationally visible stage for education policy commitments that the minister will now be held accountable to.

For now, Mfantsipim's milestone has served as more than a celebration of institutional longevity — it has become a platform for the government to articulate its ambitions for secondary education at a time when public confidence in the sector's direction remains a live and contested question.