The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has expressed concerns over the delays in food supplies at some senior high schools in the country, despite a directive by President John Dramani Mahama asking the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, to facilitate the distribution of food stored in warehouses at Tema to senior high schools nationwide.
Speaking on JoyNews on Thursday, January 16, 2025, he stated that despite several meetings between government officials, the situation at some schools remains unchanged, as they have still not received their food supplies.
“We indeed had an engagement with the government side and that was led by the Chief of Staff himself and other high profile government representatives. At the end of it, there was subsequently another meeting by the government side and in a span of two hours, they gathered our representatives again.
“CHASS was represented at that meeting, some agreements were made, and those agreements bothered on the kind of foods that should be sent to schools, the 48 hours, as of this morning, I have not received any official receipt of these items. But at that time, the agreement was that by close of day, we will receive these items. I have not received any official information,” he stated.
CHASS advised the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education against reopening schools on January 3, 2025, after the Christmas break.
In a letter dated December 20, 2024, addressed to the Ministry of Education, it warned that failure to address the financial constraints facing the schools before January 3, 2025, could disrupt the reopening process.
In response to severe food shortages in senior high schools, President John Mahama ordered the Chief of Staff to collaborate with the GES to distribute food supplies from Tema warehouses.
During a National Prayer and Thanksgiving Service held in Accra on Sunday, January 12, 2025, he acknowledged the challenges in feeding students and announced immediate measures to mitigate the situation.
“We have a challenge currently with feeding students in secondary schools, as a stopgap measure. I have asked the Chief of Staff to work with the Ghana Education Service to allocate and evacuate food that is currently held in warehouses in Tema,” he explained.
JKB/AE
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