The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah, says inadequate funding for basic education is forcing some teachers and headteachers to dip into their salaries to keep schools running.
According to him, teachers and school heads in some basic schools are using their personal resources to provide essential materials and ensure teaching and learning continue.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, September 7, 2026, Mr Musah said the situation highlighted the funding challenges confronting basic education, particularly at the kindergarten, primary and Junior High School levels.
“On authority, I can tell you that when it comes to the basic schools, the teachers and the heads, they use their money to get education going over there. They invest there. Some of them use their salaries to get the work done over there,” he said.
Mr Musah also raised concerns about the distribution of resources within the education sector. He said, based on his assessment, only about 9% of the Ministry of Education’s budget is allocated to basic education, compared with about 62% for senior high schools.
He attributed the disparity partly to the political attention surrounding senior high school education, arguing that successive governments have prioritised the sector because of its political significance.
“SHS has become a political tool,” he said, noting that both the NDC and NPP have sought to provide the necessary resources for senior high school education.
However, Mr Musah said greater attention must be given to basic education because it forms the foundation of the education system and challenges at that level can have long-term consequences for students’ academic development.
He urged policymakers and other stakeholders to examine conditions in kindergarten, primary and junior high schools, particularly the adequacy and timely disbursement of capitation grants.
Beyond funding, the GNAT General Secretary identified persistent infrastructure deficits as another major challenge facing basic education.
His comments come amid concerns over the transition of students from basic to second-cycle education following the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
About 55,000 candidates who sat the examination reportedly did not meet the requirements for automatic placement into senior high and senior high technical schools.
The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) Secretariat Coordinator, Sherif Sulemana, said about 565,000 of the nearly 620,000 candidates who sat the examination qualified for placement.
Mr Musah said the figures should prompt renewed attention to the conditions under which children receive basic education.
He stressed that sustained investment in basic education was critical to strengthening the foundation of the education system and improving learning outcomes.
Source: Citi Newsroom
