The Headmaster of Pentecost Senior High School in Koforidua located in the Eastern Region, Peter Attah Gyamfi after receiving Ghc 30,000 worth of stock of food items from the Church of Pentecost has admonished other churches and stakeholders to also do the same to support the schools in this difficult time.
He mentioned that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches and organizations supported the government so now that there is a food challenge in the senior high schools, he expects these stakeholders to also offer their support. He also called on Members of Parliament, Chief Executives, Non-governmental organizations and especially Old students to help in these difficult times.
The cheque which was received through the Koforidua Area Head Apostle Samuel Osei Asante was used to purchase food items which include 40 cartons of evaporated milk, 30 boxes of Mackerel, 20-25 litre gallons of vegetable oil and 20 bags of flour.
Food Shortage in Schools
We would recall that weeks ago, news about food shortage in senior high schools was trending because the masses were agitated and parents were extremely worried about the living conditions of the wards. While some attributed the situation to a lack of planning on the side of the government towards the free SHS, others believed that some officials involved were corrupt hence the problem at hand. We had students complain about having porridge without sugar, milk or bread for breakfast or complaining that the quantity of food served was too small. At a point, the closure of these schools was beginning to surface.
That was a disheartening period. However, it was beginning to look like parents relied solely on the government to feed their wards. Apart from those who could afford to buy some provisions for their wards at school, what was done to help those who couldn’t afford them?
Perhaps, if parent-teacher associations paid some money every term to cover an unexpected occurrence like this, I believe it would go a long way to support the entire school when the need arises. That way when governments default in paying some debts, some schools would still have access to quality food which would improve their rate of learning.
Why Churches Must Get Involved
According to the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei-Adutwum, the government owes the National Food Buffer Stock Company an outstanding amount of GHC340 million which amongst other factors has led to the food shortage in Senior High Schools.
He further stated that the government has paid over GHC327million to the company this year to ensure food supply to the schools.
According to the Minister, Upper West and other regions which were experiencing the shortage have seen improvement in terms of supply and will continue to see improvements.