Free SHS: Let your children come to school with food – CHASS to parents

Parents have been urged by the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) to make sure their kids have enough provisions for school.

The conference claims that this will assist in addressing the feeding issues in SHSs.

Warning that unresolved financial deficiencies could disrupt academic activities and jeopardize student welfare, CHASS has asked the Ministry of Education to swiftly disburse pending monies for the continuous operation of SHSs nationwide.

In an appeal for an extension of the January 3, 2025 reopening date, CHASS National Secretary Primus Baro signed a communiqué highlighting the financial difficulties that schools face, which continue despite prior correspondence and verbal assurances from the Minister of Education during a Zoom meeting on December 18, 2024.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) then asserted that children were anticipated to return to school on January 3, 2025, and stated that it was in talks with the Ministry of Education to resolve the issues raised by the CHASS leadership as quickly as possible.

In an interview with JoyNews on Wednesday, January 8, CHASS National Secretary Primus Baro stated that the situation had worsened and that parents’ assistance was required.

He emphasized that food supplies were not getting to the schools and that, in certain situations, they were still sending children what they had.

“I encourage parents, and I have already advised my 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.

“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.

“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,” Baro said.

The Free Senior High School (SHS) program, which was started by the previous government led by Nana Akufo-Addo, has had several difficulties over the years, such as inadequate food, inadequate classroom and dormitory facilities, and more.Additionally, some claim that while the program has increased the number of SHS graduates, the quality of education has not necessarily improved.

But before winning the election, John Mahama, the incoming president, pledged to revitalize the program rather than cancel it.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com