Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has pledged that outstanding payments owed to Senior High School (SHS) uniform suppliers will be cleared within the next seven days.

The assurance was given on Thursday, June 11, when the Minister engaged a group of suppliers who had staged a protest at the Ministry of Education over unpaid contracts dating back to 2023.

Mr. Iddrisu explained that the delay in settling the arrears was due to an audit process aimed at verifying the claims before funds could be released.

He noted that the payments would have been made earlier if the verification exercise had not been necessary.

The suppliers, drawn from various parts of the country, converged at the Ministry to demand the immediate release of funds for uniforms supplied to SHSs under government contracts.

According to the group, repeated engagements with officials of the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) have failed to produce results, despite several assurances that payments would be made.

The suppliers expressed frustration over the prolonged delay, saying they have fulfilled their contractual obligations but have gone more than two years without receiving payment.

They further warned that continued delays could affect the supply of uniforms for the upcoming academic term, potentially creating challenges for students who depend on the programme.