Parents urged to supplement food supplies to their free SHS wards
The Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) following the reopening of government second-cycle schools across the country this academic year has urged parents to supplement food supplies for their children.
The Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools call comes amidst ongoing financial challenges facing the government flagship Free Senior High School (Free SHS) program, including delayed government payments for food supplies.
In a statement sighted by Pretertiary.com, the National Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools, Primus Baro, said in parts of the country, some public second-cycle schools lacked food supplies like oil and maize.
“I encourage parents, and I have already advised my Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to this effect, to let their children bring food like gari, shito, and sugar to supplement whatever the school provides.
I urge parents across the country, as the food situation has still not improved in the past two and three years, and it has worsened at this particular time,” Primus Baro said in the press statement describing the situation as worrying.
The CHASS Secretary added “Food supplies are not reaching the schools. In places like the Upper West, Upper East, and Northern regions, apart from rice, the schools have no stable food supplies. Oil is completely unavailable
For example, in my school, I currently don’t have a single drop of oil, so my matron has been using margarine to replace oil for cooking. I don’t have maize or beans—only rice and some gari.”
He stressed that “We are still relying on the old practices of sending students with what they have, and that’s the only reason we allowed the students to return. Otherwise, the situation is still far from ideal.”
The Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) ahead of the 2025 second-cycle school reopening had earlier requested the Ministry of Education (MoE) delay the reopening of schools citing the government’s debt to schools.
In a letter to the Minister for Education, it acknowledged a recent release of funds but stated that it was inadequate to cover all recurrent monies owed schools, arrears for perishable items, funds for single-track and day students, and distribution of food and utility bills.
“While we acknowledge some recent disbursements of funds to schools, we regret to inform you that this release has not fully resolved the critical financial needs of our institutions,” the Conference noted in a letter to MoE.
These bills, it noted, remain critical to the reopening and smooth functioning of second-cycle institutions on January 3 and therefore called for their disbursement on time or the extension of the vacation.
