Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, has addressed concerns over the high fees charged by private schools, emphasizing that these fees reflect economic realities rather than attempts to exploit parents. His remarks come amid growing debate over the affordability and fairness of private school tuition.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on August 12, 2025, Mr. Asare urged the public to recognize the stark differences between private and public school funding models. He noted that public schools receive a government capitation grant of just GH¢15.00 per student annually, alongside a daily food allowance of GH¢2.00—allocations that are considerably lower than the per-student spending in private schools.
“Private schools are not overcharging; their fees mirror the cost of delivering quality education and services in today’s market. For instance, a nutritious meal in a private school costs around GH¢15.00, whereas the public school feeding program provides only GH¢2.00 daily,” he explained.
Mr. Asare also raised concerns about the sustainability and effectiveness of the current school feeding initiative. Despite incremental increases from GH¢1.20 to GH¢2.00 per day, he argued that this amount remains insufficient to provide balanced meals that include essential proteins and carbohydrates, especially in rural areas where food costs remain high.
He further critiqued the shift in the program’s implementation, stating that it has moved away from its original goal of fostering community involvement in feeding children. “The program was designed to empower communities to provide food from their own farms, supplemented by government support. However, it has become a procurement-centered process where the GH¢2.00 is solely used for purchasing food, sidelining community participation,” he observed.
Mr. Asare called on the government to reconsider and revamp the feeding program to better align with its initial community-focused intent, while also addressing the funding gaps that affect both public schooling and student welfare.
