Gov’t releases GH¢200 million to support feeding in SHSs

Felix Kwakye Ofosu, spokesperson for President John Mahama, has announced that the government has released additional funds to support the feeding of students in senior high schools across the country.

The latest intervention comes after non-perishable food items were distributed to schools to alleviate reports of food shortages. These actions follow an appeal by the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to the Ghana Education Service (GES) regarding financial challenges faced by schools.

CHASS had called for a reconsideration of the reopening of schools, citing concerns over unpaid funds for perishable food items supplied last year. Despite this, the GES turned down the request to delay reopening.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, January 21, the Abura Asebu Kwamankese MP revealed that high-level discussions involving the Chief of Staff, the GES Director-General, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, and a CHASS representative led to immediate action.

These talks resulted in the swift distribution of non-perishable food items to schools nationwide, although the challenge of providing perishable items remains unresolved.

“As we speak, an additional 200 million cedis has been released to tackle this issue,” Kwakye Ofosu stated, offering assurances to students, parents, and school authorities.

He further elaborated on the government’s long-term strategy to address systemic challenges in the procurement and distribution of food for schools.

“It is the government’s policy to decentralize the purchase of food items. The centralization of this process has caused delays and financial bottlenecks, with suppliers often waiting too long for payment. Decentralizing procurement will resolve such issues and prevent recurrence,” he explained.

The spokesperson confirmed that non-perishable food items have already reached many schools across the country.

“To the best of my knowledge, many schools have received their supplies, and the remaining schools will receive theirs shortly,” he added.

This initiative forms part of the government’s broader effort to strengthen logistics in the education sector, ensuring students receive adequate support to focus on their studies.