Educational policy think tank, Educational Workers Connect has called on the government to find permanent solutions to the food shortage in our second-cycle schools.
The think tank said it was worried over the recent concerns raised by the Conference of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) over food shortage in SHSs.
It said although the situation was not surprising, the government seems unconcerned despite the dire situation the schools were facing.
“What is sad and heartbreaking is the fact that, the situation has gotten to the crescendo at a time the final year students are preparing to start their final West African Examinations starting in August.
This is how terrible the situation is which calls for an urgent and proactive response from the government and Ghana Education Service.
We therefore urge the government to get out of the self denial, the defensive posture and the act of intimidation of some of these heads, who are bold and coming out to state the facts as they exist in their schools.
Instead, we expect the government to get down to work and resolve these teething challenges.”
It further asked the government to seek for help if it is unable to feed the students in our secondary schools.
“However, we wish to state that if the government is finding it extremely difficult to feed the students, we expect the government to be candid and call for a stakeholders discussion on the way forward as far as the feeding situation is concerned.
We also suggest that government allows the various Parents Associations to assist by providing some of these foodstuffs to the schools while government raises against time to supply the foods to the affected schools to avoid a shutdown of the affected schools.”
Read the full statement below
Find Permanent Solutions to the Food Shortage challenges in the Second Cycle Schools- Educational Workers Connect to Government.
” Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates.
Educational Workers Connect, an educational Policy Think Tank, whose principal aim is advocating for quality education and other educational related issues has noted with grave concern and worry a press statement emanating from Conference of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS ) in Uppper West Region lamenting food shortage( shortage of food) in the entire region.
This unfortunate situation is making it practically impossible for the heads to continue feeding the students in the senior high schools in that part of the country.
We consider the situation as painted by CHASS as very dire and does not augur well for the sustenance and proper upkeep of our dear brothers and sisters in those schools.
In as much as we do not find this precarious situation surprising even though government keeps denying the obvious, the Think Tank considers the current feeding challenges as unacceptable, risky, troubling and unfortunate.
We also want to state emphatically that, our unimpeachable sources across the country reveal very damning developments regarding feeding which is not only limited to the upper west region alone.
It must be stated unequivocally that, there are so many senior high schools across the country that are battling with feeding challenges.
This situation is obviously due to either shortage of foodstuffs, late arrival of the foodstuffs to the schools or considerable reduction in the quantity of the food served the students.
However, due to the fear of intimidation, harassment, victimization and other forms of unjustifiable punishments that may be visited on the heads by GES and the government, the heads in those schools choose to remain quiet while the students suffer the consequences of the ineptitude of the officials who are supposed to ensure that the food gets to the schools on time and in their appropriate quantity.
Consequently, the heads in many of these institutions have resorted to feeding the students with either the same meal for days, using their own meager resources to buy either bread, sugar or oil for the students or cut down considerably, the quantity of meal provided for the students.
The cascading effects of all these disturbing feeding challenges are that, the students are either not well fed, or starved. They are starved because some of these students refuse to take same meal for days. In some cases, the students are deprived of enjoying a balanced meal which may affect their well-being and ability to study well.
It is an open knowledge that these students need good meal to be able to live healthy and study.
What is sad and heartbreaking is the fact that, the situation has gotten to the crescendo at a time the final year students are preparing to start their final West African Examinations starting in August.
This is how terrible the situation is which calls for an urgent and proactive response from the government and Ghana Education Service.
We therefore urge the government to get out of the self denial, the defensive posture and the act of intimidation of some of these heads, who are bold and coming out to state the facts as they exist in their schools.
Instead, we expect the government to get down to work and resolve these teething challenges.
We also call on the government to consider this current situation as a topmost priority and find permanent solution to it for the students to be properly fed and well catered for.
According to Jonathan Sofran Joer, “Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving, and identity”. Therefore, we expect the government to as a matter of urgency, get out of its high horses and get to the ground and resolve the challenges before the schools are forced to shut down.
However, we wish to state that if the government is finding it extremely difficult to feed the students, we expect the government to be candid and call for a stakeholders discussion on the way forward as far as the feeding situation is concerned.
We also suggest that government allows the various Parents Associations to assist by providing some of these foodstuffs to the schools while government raises against time to supply the foods to the affected schools to avoid a shutdown of the affected schools.
We end our statement by another famous Spanish Proverb” The belly rules the mind”
Compiled by;
Daniel Yao Agbezudor
Executive Secretary( EWC)
0243851542
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
