Free SHS in ‘Crisis’ few days after school reopens

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) says that the Ghana Education Service and the National Food Buffer Stock Company have not yet sent food or money to most Senior High Schools across the country as reported by ghanaeducation.org

The Conference, which is mostly made up of headteachers from all over the country, says that the ongoing problems with disbursements are making it hard to reopen schools because there isn't enough food to feed the students.

Rev. Fr. Stephen Owusu Sekyere, President of the Conference and Headmaster of Opoku Ware School, said that they are waiting for the government to release their allocated funds so that the reopening date isn't pushed back because there isn't enough food.

Father Owusu Sekyere of Citi News says that the government didn't keep its promise to put the money in their bank accounts by 9 a.m. on January 10.

"We were told to go to the bank at 9 a.m. and that the money would be deposited into our accounts. As of right now, we are still checking our accounts and no school's bank has sent any money to their account."

According to the president of CHASS, the government has not yet given the schools their food quotas for the new school year.

"I'm hearing from schools all over the country that they haven't gotten food yet. We talked to Buffer Stock, and they said they gave the schools four food items, but I don't think that's true.

The president said that all hopes have died and that all they can do now is hope that the government will listen to their concerns.

"Students keep coming back, and we don't know what to do, so all we can do right now is wait for the money to be released. We have no power over what happens or when the food is delivered."

Credit: ghanaeducation.org