In recent times, distressing reports have surfaced regarding the dismal state of affairs in Ghana’s senior high schools, raising significant concerns about the quality of education and student welfare under the government’s flagship Free Senior High School policy.
These reports shed light on a range of issues, from substandard food provisions to deteriorating infrastructure and living conditions in various schools across the country.
The most recent report is related to the inadequacy of food being served in the various senior high schools across the country.
This worrying report follows earlier reports from some selected schools in the country including the Wesley Girls School on the devastating state of infrastructure and worsening sleeping conditions in their respective schools.
While one cannot discount the importance of the government’s flagship free senior high school policy, it is without doubt that there are several challenges confronting various senior high schools in the country under the policy.
One of the foremost voices drawing attention to these alarming developments is Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch).
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), reacting to the recent report bemoaned what he described as the troubling report on the deteriorating state of feeding under the Free Senior High School policy.
The educational activist strongly argued that the problem is a result of the over-centralization of the procurement process leading to the purchase of food items for the various senior high schools across the country.
He accused political leaders of being responsible for promoting and institutionalizing the culture of centralization of procurement in the country for their selfish benefit, thereby ignoring the pressing challenges it creates for students and schools.
According to Mr Asare, the root cause of these problems lies in the entrenched culture of centralized procurement, which serves the interests of political elites at the expense of quality service delivery.
He contended that the current system not only fails to address the needs of students but also facilitates corruption and inefficiency within the education sector.
“Understanding the procurement power dynamics and interest helps explain why there can never be food issues in SHS. PR & the DENY SQUAD will always be deployed to DENY to maintain the GHC 2 billion/year free SHS food value chain contract system which has been in the hands of the Political Class since 2017”.
Kofi Asare
Calls For Action
In calling for urgent action, the leader of the education policy think tank, strongly advocated for the re-decentralization of procurement processes to ensure better oversight and accountability at the school level.
He further argued that decentralization of the procurement system would empower schools to tailor their procurement strategies to their specific requirements, thereby improving the quality and adequacy of food supplies.
However, Mr. Asare posited that the reason why political leaders have failed to adopt such an approach is simply because it would also mean that they would lose their control over billions worth of contracts associated with the existing over-centralization procurement system.
He cautioned that unless decisive steps are taken to address these systemic issues, the education system will continue to falter, undermining the promise of free senior high school education for Ghanaian youth.
In light of these sobering revelations, there is an urgent need for the government, particularly the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, and allied agencies, to heed the call for reform.
Denial and complacency are not viable options when the well-being and prospects of students hang in the balance. The government must welcome input from concerned citizens and experts to chart a course towards meaningful change.
It is important to state that when it comes to providing quality education to the youth of the country, there should be no room for indifference or inertia.
The time for action is now, and the government must demonstrate its commitment to addressing the myriad issues plaguing the country’s secondary education system.
It is only through concerted efforts and genuine collaboration among stakeholders that can ensure that the country’s schools are places of learning and opportunity for all.
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