Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that special needs education in Ghana will be free beginning this year, 2026.
He said the programme will be fully funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to ease the burden on parents and caregivers.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Gloria Boatema Dadey–Nifa Basic School in Adukrom, Eastern Region, the Minister revealed that GH₵ 100 million has been allocated in the 2026 GETFund budget to support special needs education.
The money will be used to provide learning materials and assistive devices for students.
Mr Iddrisu stressed the need for Ghana to invest more in basic education, noting that strong foundations at an early age are key to better learning outcomes later in life.
He reaffirmed President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to increasing investment in foundational learning to improve education across the country.
According to the Minister, the government is determined to ensure that children with special needs receive the support they require to learn and thrive under the new policy.
“…I’m happy to announce, proudly and authoritatively, that beginning this year, 2026, learning for special needs education in Ghana under President Mahama will be free and funded adequately by the Ghana Education Trust Fund… I’m also happy to announce that an amount of GHS 100 million of GetFund resources will be dedicated in their 2026 formula to support special needs education, which will include the acquisition of some of the devices, assistive devices that they may need.”
“It is said that when a child gets it right at age six, you can predict the 18 years of that child. It’s therefore important that Ghana repositions and reprioritise and redirect its investment to improve and enhance basic education. President Mahama will do everything possible to increase investment in foundational learning to improve learning outcomes at the basic level. We are sure.