The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has defended the fees charged by private schools, arguing they reflect current market conditions rather than an intent to exploit parents.
His comments come amid increasing concerns from parents over rising fees in private institutions, with many questioning the fairness and affordability of the charges.
Mr. Asare stressed that comparing private and public school costs is misleading due to the vast difference in per-student government support.
“Private schools are not regularly cheating parents. Their pricing reflects market realities. For instance, a simple rice meal costs around GH¢15. If public schools are allocating GH¢2 per child for food, they simply can’t serve the same meal,” he said.
Currently, public schools receive a capitation grant of GH¢15 per student annually and a daily food allocation of GH¢2.00, an amount Mr. Asare described as inadequate—even following its recent increase in the 2025 mid-year budget from GH¢1.20 to GH¢1.50, and now GH¢2.00.
He questioned the feasibility of delivering a balanced meal under these constraints:
“Even in rural markets, you can’t buy eggs for GH¢2. So how are schools expected to provide children with a nutritious meal containing both carbohydrates and protein?”
Mr. Asare urged government to revisit the original design of the School Feeding Programme, which was meant to promote community involvement by encouraging the use of locally grown food to supplement government support.
“The programme was never intended to function solely as a procurement system. Communities were supposed to feed their children using produce from their farms, topped up by government contributions. Unfortunately, we’ve shifted entirely to procurement, and now GH¢2 is expected to cover everything,” he added.
He concluded by calling for a comprehensive review of the programme to ensure sustainability and nutritional adequacy for students across the country.
