Northern Region CHASS threatens to close schools over lack of funds for food

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in the Northern Region has threatened to disrupt the academic calendar if the government does not release money for food items.

In a letter addressed to the Regional Director of Ghana Education Service and signed by Rev. Edward Azeka Williams and Felix Tsri Kwame, CHASS stated that non-payment of money for perishables may lead to the closure of schools in the Northern Regions.

According to CHASS, Suppliers who provide credit for perishable items like eggs and meat are not ready to continue with the supply owing to the amount in arrears.

The heads in the region hinted that, for close to eleven weeks of the first semester for the 2021/2022 academic year, funds for perishable foods have not been paid.

The letter cited by Citi News read in parts, “On the foregoing, we wish to state that if we do not get immediate releases of the SHS students of the single track schools who would be due to return to school tomorrow, Tuesday. August 16, 2022, would not report until we get money. This also includes those in the transitional schools who are billed to report on September 4, 2022.”

Meanwhile, in July 2022, The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum confirmed that government owes the National Food Buffer Stock Company an outstanding amount of GH¢340 million.

The government’s indebtedness to the company and other factors has occasioned a shortage of food items in some high schools in the country.

Responding to questions in Parliament, Dr Osei Adutwum said the government was working towards clearing the debt and ending the food shortage in Senior High Schools.

He noted that the government has paid over GH¢327 million to the company this year to ensure food supply to schools.