Parliamentary Education Committee Urges Government to Budget Before Starting School Projects

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Education has issued a strong call to the government to allocate full budgets for educational infrastructure projects before launching them, warning that the current practice of initiating school projects without secured funding is contributing to widespread abandonment and long-term construction stalls across the country.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah, speaking during a recent field assessment of incomplete classroom blocks in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions, expressed concern over the alarming number of stalled projects, some dating back over a decade. He said the situation is undermining Ghana’s efforts to improve access to quality education, especially in rural and underprivileged communities.

“We cannot continue this cycle of cutting sods without secured budgets. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance must work in tandem to ensure that once a school project is started, funding is guaranteed through to completion,” Hon. Asiamah stated.

According to the Committee, over 500 school infrastructure projects across the country remain incomplete due to funding shortfalls. In many cases, contractors have abandoned sites after the initial phase due to non-payment, leaving structures to deteriorate and communities disillusioned.

Members of the Committee also emphasized the negative impact on students, many of whom are forced to learn under trees or in overcrowded classrooms while incomplete school blocks gather dust.

Ranking Member of the Committee, Hon. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, added that "every child in Ghana deserves a decent learning environment. If we continue to allow these projects to stall, we are failing our children and compromising the nation's development.”

The Committee has recommended that the Ministry of Finance introduce a strict policy requiring project funding to be fully committed in the national budget before any educational infrastructure is approved for construction. They have also called for a national audit of all stalled school projects, with the aim of resuming and completing those deemed viable.

Civil society organizations have welcomed the Committee’s call, describing it as a critical step toward restoring efficiency and trust in the government’s handling of the education sector.

As Ghana continues its quest for inclusive and equitable education for all, stakeholders are urging the government to treat educational infrastructure as a national priority — not just a political promise.