GNECC Calls On MoE To Prevent Shortage Of Food In Senior High Schools 

Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has urged the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, and the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited to take measures to prevent the shortage of food in the Senior High Schools in the country.

GNECC Calls On MoE To Prevent Shortage Of Food In Senior High Schools 
Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has urged the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, and the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited to take measures to prevent the shortage of food in the Senior High Schools in the country.
According to the GNECC, it observed that the phenomenon of shortage of food in the Senior High Schools in the country appears to be re-occurring.
 
The group stressed the urgent need for the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service to ensure timely release of feeding grant for effective running of the Special Schools.   
 
In a worded press statement signed and issued by National Coordinator of GNECC, Mrs. Bernice Mpere-Gyekye and National Programmes Manager if GNECC, Mr. Festus Longmatey and copied to Soireenews.com, the GNECC noted that it was concerned about the seemingly firefighting approach to dealing with issues concerning the Free Senior High School, which undermine the implementation of the policy.  
According to the group, shortage of food in our Senior High Schools is a widespread situation and requires an urgent action by duty bearers. 
The statement pointed out that in a letter from the Upper West Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to the Upper West Regional Director of Education, it was stated that "if sufficient money and food are not received in the schools by Friday, July 15, 2022, we will be forced to tell parents and guardians to either feed their wards or come for them since it will be impossible to continue feeding them with nothing." 
The statement said that the rapid investigation carried out by GNECC Regional Executives in Seven (7) Regions; Ashanti, Central, Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Bono and Volta confirm and indicates a similar situation.
"For example, parents are being asked to provide financial support to their children to manage themselves due to the reported food shortage in some of the schools. The shortage of food has led to students resorting to some form of barter trading," the statement noted 
According to the statement,  some students who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that they have only one meal a day.  In some schools, dried fish are changed into powdered fish and small quantities are used to prepare stew and soup for the students.
It sad this situation is making it difficult for them to concentrate and learn. 
The statement asserted that the GNECC believes that the non-payment of arrears to the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited to send food to Senior High Schools, is to be blamed for the current situation.
To overcome these difficulties, GNECC urged the government to pay the National Food Buffer Stock Company Limited to enable remedy the dire food shortages in the schools.
The statement encouraged by the Minister for Education's guarantee that food will be provided to the impacted schools on Tuesday, 12th July, 2022 to address the problem. 
"Besides, we are concerned about the seemingly firefighting approach to dealing with issues concerning the Free Senior High School, which undermine the implementation of the policy.  
"We hope that the Minister of Education would ensure that in the interest of the poorest of the poor, for whose sake the policy was introduced, the declaration to provide money and food to the schools will be fulfilled so that our children, particularly those in the final year, can prepare for the forthcoming examinations without a looming threat of disruption. 
Our investigation also reveals that release of feeding grants to the special schools have not been regular," the statement stressed.
"Finally, we believe with proper planning, situations like these should not repeat itself because of the negative impact it has on teaching and learning," the statement concluded.