President John Dramani Mahama has outlined reforms and investments in the education sector, describing 2025 as a defining year for Ghana’s transformation agenda.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament, the President said his administration had delivered on key education promises and laid a stronger foundation for equitable access and quality learning.
He highlighted the rollout of the ‘No Fee Stress’ initiative, which has eased the financial burden on thousands of first-year tertiary students.
“As I speak, the No Fee Stress initiative has benefited over 152,000 first-year students in public universities. The number of beneficiaries this year is projected to reach 220,000 first-year students” he said.
The President announced that law students can now access support from the Student Loan Scheme, expanding opportunities for those pursuing legal education. He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to inclusivity, noting that free tertiary education for persons with disabilities has been implemented nationwide. According to him, all eligible students with disabilities enrolled in tertiary institutions are currently benefiting.
Touching on the Free SHS programme, President Mahama stated that the 2025 academic year recorded a stable and uninterrupted food supply across senior high schools. He stressed the need to strengthen the foundation of the education system.
“Basic education remains the critical entry point into our education system. It is at this level that children acquired foundational literacy, numeracy, critical thinking and problem solving skills upon which all future learning depends.”
He said the standards-based curriculum from kindergarten to Primary Six is being reviewed to include robotics, coding and the responsible use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), with emphasis on ethics and digital responsibility.
“As part of the ongoing curriculum review, artificial intelligence education will be introduced at an age appropriate and developmentally sensitive with a strong emphasis on ethical use, digital responsibility, critical thinking and human values,” he said
To address infrastructure challenges, government has programmed the construction of 200 kindergarten blocks, 200 primary schools and 200 junior high schools nationwide in the 2026 financial year, with budgetary allocations already secured.
The President further disclosed that all outstanding capitation grant arrears owed to public basic schools have been cleared, along with unpaid BECE registration subsidies due to the West African Examinations Council.
Special needs education also featured prominently in his address. Feeding grants for students in public special schools have been increased from GH¢8 to GH¢15 per day.
“This significant increment reflects our resolve to address the unique nutritional and health needs of learners with disabilities,” he said.
In addition, President Mahama said his government plans to construct a modern special needs school in Ho and rehabilitate facilities in other parts of the country.
“To reduce absenteeism among girls, 12.2 million packets of free sanitary pads were distributed to girls in public schools in 2025. An allocation of GH¢292.4 million has been made in the 2026 budget to sustain the initiative.
At the secondary level, government intends to upgrade 30 Category C schools to Category B and 10 Category B schools to Category A, while expanding infrastructure in existing Category A schools to reduce congestion,” he said.
President Mahama also announced plans to establish new public universities in Bono East and Oti regions, with additional support from China for a university project in Damango in the Savannah Region. Three new technical universities are also in the pipeline.
He also highlighted the Teachers’ Housing Initiative, which aims to construct 50,000 housing units nationwide, particularly for educators serving in rural and remote communities.
President Mahama concluded by reaffirming his administration’s commitment to equitable access, improved infrastructure and sustained investment in the country’s human capital development.
By Vera Owusu Sarpong