The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, has refuted claims of corruption and scandal related to the purchase of sanitary pads for schoolgirls.
“Chop bar arithmetic” is how he characterized the reports of pads being offered at GH¢45.
On Tuesday, November 25, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament accused the administration of wasteful expenditure on the Free Sanitary Pads program for elementary and senior high school students.
The NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo, Mr. Vincent Ekow Assafuah, addressed the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament and supported the Caucus’ concerns with data from the 2025 and 2026 budget statements.
According to him, a straightforward computation based on the total quantity of pads acquired suggested that the government paid roughly GH¢45 for each pack, which is significantly more than the going rate of GH¢25 to GH¢15.
In an effort to improve menstrual hygiene, lower absenteeism, and advance gender equality, Ghana’s Free Sanitary Pad Policy was introduced in April 2025 and offers free sanitary pads to schoolgirls nationwide from Primary 5 to Senior High School.
When speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps on Wednesday, Dr. Apaak responded to the Minority’s allegations by stating that “the cost of transportation and distribution has been factored into the procurement process, which accounted for the variation in prices.”
He underlined that the government had given 2.6 million packs of sanitary pads to girls in secondary and T-VET institutions and 3.9 million packs to students in 20,744 public basic schools.
The Deputy Minister stated that 2.5 million female students from elementary five to senior high school had benefited from the program, citing figures to bolster the government’s accountability and transparency.
He described the accusations as a “desperate attempt” to stir up controversy and undermine the government.
He stated, “The NDC under President John Dramani Mahama and the Ministry of Education has not procured a pack of sanitary pads at GH¢45 and will never do so.”
Source: newsthemegh.com