The government has taken the appropriate actions to alleviate the current food shortage experienced in schools under the Free Senior High School (SHS) program, according to the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Asaaseradio.com reports that Dr. Adutwum claims that all SHSs in the nation have gotten enough food supply to ensure that the students are properly fed.
“Yesterday, I had a zoom conference call with the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), regional directors of GES and TVET service and every region confirmed that items have come in or are coming in,” the minister said.
“Buffer stock is readying itself to begin to reinvent their supply chain system to make sure that the supplies are regular. They did procurement at the local level and from Upper West to Upper East all the way to Ashanti and Greater Accra, they all said they are getting the items that they need.
“I am sure if you call them they will tell you, the items that are in short supply are now coming, so that is a cashflow, supply chain system and it is not about the budget,” he is quoted to have said on the Asaase Breakfast Show.
The recent food crisis in SHSs, according to Kofi Asare, Executive Director of African Education Watch, was caused by money that the government owes food providers.
“The main cause of the food supply disruptions is the GH¢340 million owed the Buffer Stock and by extension owed the suppliers under the Free SHS program,” he said.
According to Asare, the Free SHS would continue to have food shortages if the government, notably the Finance Ministry and the Education Ministry, do not address the cash flow issues to suppliers
