SHS Students To Go Home Over No Food

Reports of food shortages in Senior High Schools are back in the news, barely a month after similar reports across the country raised serious concerns about food shortages in these institutions.

The Anchor has gathered that even though the issue died down, it was apparently not resolved entirely as sources say, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), is planning to send home all Form Two SHS students, if government fails to release funds any moment from now.

This paper is informed, due to the lingering shortage, Form Ones who are currently on vacation, may have to remain at home even as reopening date approaches.

In the same direction, their seniors in the Form Two, currently on campus, may also be sent packing in the event that government fails to release funds for perishables and payment of arrears for same reason, as soon as possible.

Already, the Northern Region, has issued its own version of threat on the same issue and are demanding that management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) intervene immediately, else, they may also be forced to shut down schools.

At an emergency meeting held in the region on Monday August 15, 2022, CHASS in a five-point’s statement addressed to the regional GES, painted a very gloomy picture.

The statement signed by chairman Rev. Edward Asska Williams of Tamale SSS, Vice Chairman Alhassan Dokorugu of NOBISCO as well as Secretary Felix Tsri Kwame of Savelugu SHS said no funds have been released for the schools for the past eleven months of the second semester.

“After an emergency meeting of the Northern Regions CHASS ON August 15, 2022, it came clear that:

Apart from the arrears owned us in respect of perishables for the first semester of 2021/2022academic year, no money has been paid for the eleven weeks of the second semester we have done so far, this makes going to the market very difficult” portions of the release said.

According to the school heads “Suppliers who give us credit for perishables items like eggs and meat are not ready to continue with the supply owning to the amounts of indebtedness.

On the foregoing, we wish to state that if we do not get immediate releases the SHS. 1 students of the single-truck schools who would be due to return to school tomorrow Tuesday, August 16, 2022 would not report until we get money. This also include those in the transitional schools who are also billed to report on September 4, 2022”.

Adding “Heads of schools in the Region would be compelled to send the SHS. 2 students who are in their second semester home.

Lastly, Management is also entreated to pay the recurrent expenditure of the schools, which has been in arrears since last year.

The nonpayment of this component of our money is affecting smooth running of our schools in issues such as maintenance and repairs, field trips, practical lessons in our laboratories etc”.

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bulsa South constituency Dr Clement Apak who has been monitoring the situation and has been commenting on it said why the food shortage issue persist when funds have been approved by Parliament.

“The question I hope parents, old boys and girls, and Ghanaians in general, will ask NADAA is why an amount of 2.3B he asked for to fund SHS for 2022 was approved by Parliament, yet the Secondary schools still face these challenges?”

The lawmaker who is the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament in a solidarity message said his information is that the situation is happening across board. He said affected schools will be coming out soon.

Last month, school heads in various second cycle institutions including those in the Upper East, Eastern Regions, threatened to shut schools down for the same reason. Government in the heat of the moment announced it was dispatching trucks of foods to the schools but the directive suffered a setback.

Even though some of the schools confirmed truck of foods started trickling in, the issue appears to be coming up again.

Source: Anchorghana.com