Address Unpaid Debts and Free SHS Feeding Issues: CHASS Letter to MoE

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) SOS letter demanding that Free SHS feeding issues be addressed, sent to the Ministry of Education (MoE), has gained the spotlight following its release. The letter to the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, called on the Ministry to take steps towards the urgent release of funds to pay service providers who cart food items and to clear all pending arrears for Day schools for the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year.

The request highlights that the government owes suppliers and service providers amounts dating back to the previous academic year, which ended on October 28, 2024.

Mr. Baro Primus, the National Secretary of CHASS, in an SOS letter dated September 20, 2024, further appealed to the Minister to release funds to cover all recurrent fees owed to schools since the 2021 academic year.

The letter also emphasized that funds were needed for refunds related to services provided and pre-financed by schools for the carting of food items from regional zonal food centers, among others.

The National Executives of CHASS have engaged the GES Management and the Honorable Minister for Education on multiple occasions regarding these issues, but no solution has been forthcoming.

“CHASS would want to once more kindly inform your good office that schools have now reached their wit’s end, and it has become extremely difficult to manage the system effectively. Debt owed because of the non-payment of recurrent fees (except exam fees) has put a lot of school heads in very uncomfortable situations. In some cases, school creditors are threatening legal action against the schools. This situation is compounded by the current need to purchase stationery for the ongoing admissions.”

“Additionally, aside from the lack of money, some key food items have not been supplied to schools since the inception of the 2024/2025 academic year. This has made the feeding of students very difficult for school management and is now even creating some disciplinary problems and uneasy calm on school campuses. This is a source of great worry to school authorities as our school environments are gradually becoming unsafe to stay and work in.”

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“In light of the foregoing, CHASS would like to kindly request the release of funds owed to schools in respect of recurrent fees, carting of food items, and all arrears for Day schools for the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year.

“It is worth mentioning at this juncture that those schools operating with commercial banks didn’t receive perishables fees for the period 17th to 31st August 2024, and those schools operating with the Bank of Ghana didn’t also receive the same funds for the period 17th to 31st July 2024.

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“On recurrent fees, no school has received them for 2021 till date, except for some payments made in respect of the first semester of the 2023/2024 academic year in April 2024. Also, no school has so far received perishable fees for the period October 2024 till date,” he said.