It is sad how this free senior high school has turned into a problem for the government, teachers, parents, and the most affected, students. Before the policy was to be implemented, people suggested to the government that there must collaboration with parents to support the government financially. The government ignored and implemented the policy supporting students, whether they can afford to pay fees or not, to attend senior high school freely. students are being faced with hunger because there is a shortage of food items. The government has failed to pay suppliers to supply food on time and this is causing a huge problem for students and the SHS management as well.
This morning, a shocking revelation was made on Citi FM’s morning show by an anonymous shopkeeper in a senior high school situated in the eastern region.
According to the man, buffer stock has given the food supplies to individuals as a contract. Buffer stock is buying the food commodity from the individual supplies at a very low price, so for suppliers to generate high profit, they force school management to forge invoices before they will supply them with food. According to the anonymous caller, if the school fails to double the quantities illegally for the suppliers, they wouldn’t get food to feed the students.
For three months now, some schools have not set their eyes on flour, they get vegetable oil in a list quantity that, if they use them in their right quantity, it will not take them up to 3 weeks.
Initially, if a school had some kinds of foodstuff in excess, then they could make a butter trade with another school but now the schools don’t have enough food to even do butter trade, students are eating Koko raw and for light tea, students dare not ask for bread because there is a shortage of flour in the system. According to the man, parents don’t know about this issue because the government sees it as a problem and it has been managed in the school such that, teachers who teach in the schools are not aware of the issue.
What should the government do to correct the problem emanating from the free SHS?
Government should separate the free SHS from free feeding. Those who choose to be in boarding schools should provide themselves with food.
Some parents can pay their wards’ fees. Government should allow parents to support the parents of fees.
Accepting challenges don’t mean you are a failure, it is for the betterment of all stakeholders.
At least 2 billion cedis is budgeted yearly to cushion the Free SHS policy. An estimated amount of 7.5 billion cedis has been used already and the fruits? They are yet to be plugged.
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