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The Minority in Parliament has described as illegal, government’s decision to allow the Scholarship Secretariat to administer funds for the implementation of the free senior high school policy.

According to the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the educational sector laws, specifically the Act governing the operations of the Ghana Education Service, have been breached with the allocation of GH¢1.2 billion to the secretariat.

The government said the allocation was made because of the good track record of the secretariat.

But debating the budget estimates of the office of government machinery, Haruna Iddrisu said the GES under the Ministry of Education should be responsible for the Free SHS allocation “if we are respecting the laws of Ghana.”

“The Scholarship Secretariat deals with scholarships. This [the Free SHS policy], is a major government policy of providing bursaries to ensure free secondary education… the scholarship secretariat must focus on Cuban students, Ghanaians students in Moscow.”

The Minority Leader further argued that “the President swore to uphold the laws of Ghana and the GES Act is part of the laws of Ghana.”

Thus, Mr Idrissu said President Nana Akufo-Addo must “demonstrate respect to it [the GES Act], and send that GH¢ 1.2 billion back to the Ministry of Education and back to the GES for proper supervision.”

The GES Act states that “the Service shall be responsible for the implementation of approved national policies and programmes relating to pre-tertiary education.”

The Service is mandated to provide and oversee basic education, senior secondary education, technical education and special education.