Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu Rebukes “Chop Bar Arithmetic” Claims Over Sanitary Pad Project
Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu- Photo credit Parliament of Ghana.
Accra, Ghana — Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has dismissed claims made by Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Ekow Vincent Assafuah, alleging financial irregularities in the government’s sanitary pad distribution initiative under the Mahama administration.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Iddrisu condemned what he described as an attempt to “trivialize a major initiative” aimed at reducing female absenteeism and school dropouts linked to menstrual poverty. “This is the second time I’ve seen effort to trivialize a major initiative by President Mahama to deal with female absenteeism and the dropout of young girls from school because of poverty,” the minister said on the floor of Parliament.
Haruna Iddrisu strongly refuted the assertion that each sanitary pad distributed under the initiative cost GH₵45, saying the figure was “simply untrue.” He explained that the total number of 6.6 million cited by the opposition was not the final number distributed, as additional supplies were still being procured. “6.6 million is not the final number distributed for the sanitary pads contract. We competitively advertised it, and part of it was determined through a proper procurement process,” he said. “6.6 million represents what has been supplied so far. Additional quantities are being delivered to the government.”
Mr. Iddrisu, visibly frustrated, cautioned MPs against what he termed “chop bar arithmetic” a colloquial phrase suggesting careless or unverified calculations, accusing critics of deliberately distorting facts to score political points.
“Don’t go and do chop bar arithmetic and say 6.6 million divided by 290 million. That is woefully inaccurate and grossly misleading,” he asserted.
The Education Minister concluded by emphasizing that the sanitary pad initiative remains ongoing and rooted in transparent procurement procedures designed to empower girls and promote equitable access to education.
Earlier during the debate, Old Tafo MP Ekow Vincent Assafuah had questioned the cost-effectiveness and transparency of the government’s sanitary pad program, alleging that the unit cost of pads procured under the project amounted to GH₵45 per piece, a figure he argued reflected poor oversight and misuse of public funds.
Mr. Assafuah claimed the total cost of 290 million Ghana cedis, when compared to the number of beneficiaries, suggested significant inflation in pricing. His comments prompted immediate pushback from the Majority benches and later drew the Education Minister’s detailed rebuttal.
The sanitary pad initiative, introduced under President Mahama’s administration, aims to reduce menstrual-related absenteeism among adolescent girls in deprived communities by providing free, locally manufactured sanitary pads through schools.
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