The ongoing food shortage crisis in Senior High Schools (SHS) in Ghana has prompted urgent discussions among stakeholders to find sustainable solutions.
The National Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Mr. Primus Baro, provided a detailed update on the way forward following a crucial meeting with the Chief of Staff.
Although the details of the decisions are yet to be fully received, the meeting laid a foundation for immediate and long-term solutions. He revealed;
“I must indicate that the meeting was very fruitful. Very frank discussions were put on the table and very refreshing decisions were taken; Even though we are yet to receive in concrete terms those issues that were agreed on.”
Mr. Primus Baro National Secretary , CHASS
Meanwhile, before the meeting, President John Dramani Mahama had already authorized the deployment of food items from warehouses in Tema. However, the reality of the situation became clearer during the discussions. He stated;
“By the end of the meeting, they got to realized that about 18 food items are supposed to be served to the schools, but what they have at the warehouse were just 2.”
“The immediate decision that the chief of staff took, and then eventually met with the president of the republic, was that some emergency monies would also be paid directly to schools covering a period of 31 days, that’s one month basically for both day and boarding schools.”
Mr. Primus Baro National Secretary , CHASS
Mr. Baro emphasized that these funds would help schools “mobilize some food within their catchment area to quickly deal with the situation.”
Deployment of Food Items, Anticipated Timelines
Regarding the deployment of the available food items, Mr. Baro clarified that schools had not yet received them as of the time of the meeting. He clarified;
“But our understanding is that they have been deployed. So, the situation is still as we’ve known or discussed earlier. I’m not too sure, I’ve not received any information. It’s only from those [schools] that are around Greater Accra. I spent the whole of yesterday traveling from Accra. I’ve hardly collated information, but I want to believe from today [Thursday] onwards they should start hitting the schools both near and far from the source.
“Indeed, at the meeting, to the best of my knowledge, some exact timelines were not given. But the anticipation by both parties was that by the close of the week, all these items as well as the money that was promised, should have reached the schools.”
Mr. Primus Baro National Secretary , CHASS
The meeting with the Chief of Staff marked a critical step in addressing the food shortages in Senior High Schools.
The combination of deploying available food items and providing emergency funds directly to schools aims to alleviate the immediate crisis.
However, continuous monitoring and timely execution of these measures are essential to ensure that the student’s needs are met without further delays.
Related Developments, Education Versus Politics of Thinking
Meanwhile, in related developments, Mr. Kofi Asare Executive Director of Africa EduWatch earlier explained that the procurement process for school food items is deeply politicized, with politicians directly involved in managing the food supply.
Thus the lack of a functional system has made the entire food supply process vulnerable to political transitions and disruptions.
One of the key issues Mr. Asare noted was the impact of political transitions on the school feeding program.
He pointed out that the suppliers of food to schools are acutely aware of political changes, and this has caused significant inertia in food supply, particularly after the 2024 elections.
“We detected inertia on the part of food suppliers from September,” Mr. Asare observed.
This hesitation to supply food, he explained, was due to uncertainty about the future of the centralized procurement system and concerns over whether the government would pay for the supplies.
Additionally, he observed that suppliers were reluctant to continue their contracts with government due to the political economy surrounding the feeding program.
The uncertainty, he explained, stemmed from the NDC’s promise to abolish the centralized procurement system for school food and decentralize the process. He indicated;
“The [suppliers] are also conscious to continue supplying. Because if you continue to supply, you can’t see the future of your business.’’
Mr. Kofi Asare Executive Director of Africa EduWatch
Mr. Asare reaffirmed that government needed to address the liquidity challenge in the short term to ensure the smooth operation of the Senior High Schools feeding program.
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