The Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, is faced with a major challenge of feeding the beneficiaries, especially those in boarding schools as food suppliers get ready to withdraw services over a GHC500milion debt owed them.
According to the New Publisher newspaper, the suppliers of the school feeding programme have not been able to fully voice out their woes over the fear of victimization as they would be deemed to be painting the government black.
In a recent development, the Conference of the Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), hinted that they were considering taking a decision to close down the schools so the students would not starve.
According to a top official, CHASS doesn’t know how much government owes food suppliers but if they are unable to clear their debt for food suppliers to resume and the situation persist, they have no option than to close down the schools?
In 2021 leaders of CHASS, GNAT, CTU, AND NAGRAT raised concerns about the food shortage situation in senior high schools and expressed fears the situation could affect the health of students and make the schools unstable for teaching and learning.
Also January 2022, CHASS indicated that they will respect the roadmap agreed with the Ministry of Education to suspend a decision to shut down schools due to food shortage.
These closure threats from CHASS ponders the question. Should the free SHS policy be abolished?,
Should students revert to paying feeding fee, so that money would be used to pay food suppliers if the government is unable to consistently pay?