Former Deputy Finance Minister and Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei Asare, has raised concerns over the government’s decision to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in the 2025 budget.
She questioned the rationale behind the move, particularly its potential impact on education financing and constitutional compliance.
Speaking to Citi FM, Abena Osei Asare warned that reallocating GETFund resources to cover other expenditures could violate constitutional provisions. She argued that the decision strays from the fund’s original purpose, which was to support educational infrastructure.
Her concerns follow Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s budget presentation on March 11, where he announced the uncapping of GETFund as part of a broader expenditure adjustment, especially regarding oil revenue.
However, Osei Asare criticized the government’s justification, stating that using GETFund to finance Free Senior High School (SHS) expenditures, such as food and consumables, was inconsistent with the fund’s mandate.
“The government cannot say that the uncapped GETFund is what they are going to use to fund the Free SHS because when you look at the GETFund Act, it is more for infrastructure, and Free SHS is more about goods and services,” she said.
She also noted that oil revenue previously funded Free SHS, but in the 2025 budget, those expenditures have been redirected to The Big Push initiative, raising concerns about transparency in funding allocations.