Free SHS food challenge: Former GES boss supports decentralisation of food procurement 

Former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Charles Aheto-Tsegah has emphasized that the uniqueness of the situations in various schools across the country does not support a centralised procurement and distribution of food items to the senior high schools.

He added his voice to the calls for the decentralization of the procurement and distribution of food supplies to senior high schools which has been identified as a contributing factor to the usual feeding challenge associated with the Free Senior High School program introduced by the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government.

“The schools are very unique in their situations so for somebody to sit in Accra and decide what food to give to the people in Tamale and also to the people in the Volta Region could be very unfortunate. A lot of the peculiar demands and desires and appetites would not be catered for in that respect” Mr. Aheto-Tsegah stated on the 3FM Sunrise Morning Show, Friday 17 January, 2025.

He further disclosed that his interactions with some of the headmasters revealed that the feeding challenge of the Free SHS is not ultimately the absence of food stuff but the lack of money to buy the accompanying ingredients and items for preparing the meals and feeding the students hence appeals to the government to make the funds available for that purpose.

The renowned educationist welcomed the proposal to send cash to respective headmasters to enable them to lead the process in terms of buying the food items.

“It is a good thing to allow the heads to procure and then ensure that they prepare proper meals that will enable our children to be properly fed along the line” he stated.

After several complaints of food shortages in secondary schools by headmasters, the government has commenced the distribution of stored food items to schools hit by the shortage from a warehouse in Tema.

A total of 139,872 bags of rice are to be supplied across the country and expected to be used by schools for a month.

Mr. Aheto-Tsegah opines that the one-month relief supply of food to the schools is the best option for now as the government is now forming.

Meanwhile the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak has disclosed in an interview with TV3 on January 16, 2025 that the government will decentralise the procurement and supply of food items to secondary schools in the fulfilment of John Dramani Mahama’s promise to decentralise the feeding arrangement.

 

The post Free SHS food challenge: Former GES boss supports decentralisation of food procurement  first appeared on 3News.

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