The Chairman of the Greater Accra Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), Paul Amoasi Baidoo, has expressed concern about the unavailability of food items to feed students in Senior High Schools (SHS) in Accra.
“Greater Accra has only rice to feed the students, which will not be sufficient in the coming days. We do not have maize, beans, or other ingredients for the schools in the region,” he lamented.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Amoasi said he had sent the schools’ needs and outstanding bursaries to the regional director of CHASS for prompt action.
He added that these challenges prompted the national leadership of CHASS to appeal to the government to postpone the reopening of schools to January 3, 2025, but their request was denied.
Mr. Amoasi, also the Headmaster of St. Thomas Aquinas SHS, explained, “My school, which is a day school, only serves hot meals for the students.”
He noted that other boarding schools, such as Labone SHS, Accra Girls SHS, and others, provide only rice for breakfast, lunch, and supper.
The situation, he emphasized, was dire, and he indicated that if nothing was done to address the shortage of rice by Monday, January 13, 2025, there would be no food to feed the students.
He supported the appeal by the National Leadership of CHASS for parents to assist in feeding their children in school.
A communiqué signed by Mr. Primus Baro, CHASS National Secretary, on December 18, 2024, highlighted the financial challenges faced by schools, which persist despite previous communications and verbal assurances from the government.
A statement signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of the Public Relations Unit of the Ghana Education Service, announced that SHS students would report to school on Friday, January 3, 2025. The statement also confirmed that Primary and Junior High Schools would reopen on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
The Ghana Education Service emphasized that its leadership is engaging with the Ministry of Education to address the concerns raised by CHASS.
