Parents Contributing GHS250-GHS500 due to Free SHSs Food Shortage
Whiles verifiable information shows that the reported SHSs food shortages are real, the government has downplayed the situation. The latest update from the Mr. Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch indicates that parents of some schools have started contributing through the school PTAs towards the upkeep of their children.
Per the Free SHS policy, students enrolled are to be fed by the government and provide other educational materials like uniforms. Parents are not required to pay a dime for their ward’s education at the Senior High School level.
Information from major media houses in Ghana has confirmed food shortage exists and that parents are supporting the schools. According to Joy News, Wesley Girls, Mfantsipim PTA are happily contributing GHC 500 & GHC 250 to support feeding.
From Cape Coast, Shirley Asiedu-Addo and Edith Mensah of the Graphic online report that some students of Mfantsipim School, St. Augustine’s College, Adisadel College, and Ghana National College said they did not go to the dining because the food served was deficient in quantity and quality.
Parents have been called on to go and support their ward’s school to deal with the challenge and stop complaining. If parents can donate food items such as flour, sugar, oil, bags of rice, and other needs food items for the upkeep of the children, the challenge can be dealt with.
“Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch writes
According to Joy News, Wesley Girls, Mfantsipim PTA are happily contributing GHC 500 & GHC 250 to support feeding.
Go and support your ward’s school & stop complaining.
You can also donate flour, sugar, oil etc.”
Some Ghanaians while reacting to the Free SHSs Food Shortage said “that Nana Addo and his people never like to admit that they have failed…We have failed Ghanaians in implementing the FREE SHS but because of our Ego Saturated Leader, we can’t admit it. Please forgive us, we are sorry.”
Reactions from students regarding the food they have been served recent;y further confirm the current situation.
“The porridge is too light and without bread and so in the morning I don’t go to the dining hall,” a student at Mfantsipim said.
Another student said: “Sometimes the quantity is small.” The Headmaster of Mfantsipim, Rev. Ebenezer Aidoo, said the food situation was dire, but management was working within its means to ensure that the students were fed.
READ: SHSs face food shortages, but government downplays the situation
Reacting to the Free SHSs Food Shortage, The Headmaster of St Augustine’s, Henry Arthur-Gyan, also said the school had no option but to manage the situation.
“We know there are challenges, and so we manage with what we are provided. There is not much we can do about it,” he said. At Adisadel, a source who pleaded anonymity said supplies were not as forthcoming as they used to be. “We are giving the students meals within what we are supplied,” it said.
Responding, the Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng, told the Daily Graphic that so far the ministry had not received any official complaints from the schools about food shortage.
He said he would be glad if the list of schools facing the challenge was provided to the ministry for action to be taken on the matter.
When Mfantsipim School was cited as an example, he said that would be brought to the attention of the ministry for the necessary action.
To address the delay in paying suppliers, Mr Kwarteng said, the ministry was in discussions with some banks to pay them.
Asked about the issue of poor quality of food, he said that could be subjective.
Source: Ghana Education News