The government and ministry of education have come under fire from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) over the GH126,000,000 allocated to the National Food Buffer Stock Company to cover non-perishable food items.
The funds were made available to senior high and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Schools across the nation for student feeding, according to a statement from the Education Ministry dated October 28, 2022.
However, in reaction to the Ministry’s announcement, CHASS said that the funding did little to alleviate the nation’s widespread second-cycle school food problem.
The declaration that accompanied the release of the funds to operate in significant arrears did not reflect the realities on the ground in terms of schools’ financial and food situations, according to CHASS.
“Schools reopen with virtually empty accounts and empty storefronts for quite a long now,” it continued.
A breakdown of the level and percentage of arrears cleared was given as;
1. Form One batch: only 36.2% paid and 63.8% in arrears
2. Form Two Batch: 0% paid, 100% in arrears.
3. Form Three Batch: 51% paid, 49% in arrears
The typical suppliers of buffer stock, according to information obtained by CHASS, are allegedly refusing to furnish since they have not been paid for previously given goods. The Ministry’s recent switch to acquire two weeks’ worth of food rations for schools—also known as emergency supplies—makes the situation murkier.