Ghana criticizes sale of senior high school admission-item packages
In Ghana, a spokesperson for former Education Minister Yaw Opoku Mensa criticized reports about the sale of packages of items from the admission list for senior high schools through Prospectus Ghana Limited. According to him, parents are allegedly being directed to buy such packages for about 1,700 Ghanaian cedis, creating an additional financial burden and contradicting the goal of the Free SHS free senior high school education policy.
Mensa called for Free SHS not to be turned into a source of profit. He said that if parents are forced to buy goods from one company solely because their children attend public senior high schools, the purpose of the program will be undermined.
Call not to pay for the package
As MyJoyOnline reports, the dispute arose around the EduPack program implemented by Prospectus Ghana Limited. The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) urged parents not to pay the stated 1,617 Ghanaian cedis for the package of items from the admission list.
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NCPTA also stated that the Ghana Education Service (GES) had not authorized Prospectus Ghana Limited to sell these items to parents or collect payments on behalf of schools. At the same time, Mensa said that the company had claimed to have the authority to enter schools, and referred to videos online that, according to him, show goods being delivered to Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
GES list and the company’s position
On September 3, GES published a national standardized admission list for the 2026/2027 academic year. It specifies items for students who will live in boarding facilities and those who will study without accommodation. The Service also instructed schools and other stakeholders to comply with these requirements for a coordinated and standardized admission process.
NCPTA stressed that parents can buy the necessary items on the open market and urged GES to take action against schools that attempt to force them to use a specific seller. Jude Fosu Gyamfi, chief executive officer of Prospectus Ghana Limited, for his part described the supply program as legal and voluntary and said it was intended to make the admission process more convenient for parents. Mensa called on the authorities to review any arrangements that may impose additional financial obligations on parents.
