A Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament Dr. Clement Apaak has maintained the food shortage situation is not limited to the Upper West Region.
The lawmaker says the situation was nationwide and must be addressed.
He wants to know if the government was indebted to the Buffer Stock Company for which reason they are unable to supply food to the various secondary schools.
For him, it remains unfortunate for the government to owe the buffer stock when Ghc2.5 billion has been approved for the implementation of the free senior high school.
He has since filed two urgent questions
buffer stock and its suppliers and expects the education minister to provide answers to them.
Meanwhile, the Greater Accra branch of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools has concluded that schools are in dire need of food items such as floor, sugar, palm oil, soya bean, vegetable oil, millet, sardine, milk, margarine, tom brown and groundnut.
The schools have also bemoaned the delay in the release of funds.
They have since demanded an immediate release of funds for both perishables and recurring expenditure.
The conference has also asked Buffer Stock to release emergency supplies to the schools affected by the shortage.
Dr. Apaak in his reaction said the situation was not the best since the schools are asking parents to come to their wards and provide them with food or treat them as day students.
Read his submission below
The food situation in our Secondary schools is worrying. And it’s not just schools in the Upper West Region as per the documents attached.
Why are buffer stock food suppliers not making food available to the schools? Does government owe buffer stock food suppliers? If so, how much?
And why must government owe buffer stock food suppliers when GHC 2.3B was approved for fSHS for 2022? Something doesn’t add up!
By the way, I’ve filed two urgent questions on buffer stock and its suppliers, let’s hope the Education Minister provides answers.
Dr. Clement Apaak
M.P, Builsa South
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
