Free SHS: Food Shortage Hits As Students Asked To Go Home Early

Food shortage is said to have hit the Free SHS policy affecting secondary school students.

Students are said to have been fed with a repeated menu in the various schools for lack of options.

The situation is described as a bad one to the extent that some of the schools are no longer concerned about nutrition but just any food to fill the stomachs of the students.

This is contained in a report sighted.

Heads of schools complain

Some heads of the schools who spoke on conditions of anonymity said the government has failed to give them the 30 percent feeding component to purchase some perishable foods which are not covered by the supplier, the National Buffer Stock Company limited.

The headmasters lamented that the students have no choice but to eat their breakfast with an insufficient size of bread or mostly without bread at all.

They added that while they cannot complain about this, they can also not help the students, and this makes them really sad.

Vacation ahead of time

The situation has made it compulsory for the students to go home ahead of the planned vacation date.

For this reason, the timetable for their end-of-term examination has also been changed.

Originally, the students were scheduled to vacate on September 15, 2021, but have been asked to vacate today, Friday, August 27, 2021.

One of the headmasters said this has become necessary in order to avert further embarrassment on the Free SHS policy.

Trouble at dining hall

Some of the students who spoke to the reporter complained that dining time has become the most valuable time on their timetable.

They described the place as a hotcake, explaining that you do not get anything to eat if you don’t go there early.

Others say even if you get there before dining time, the food you are served is not enough to hold you down.

We are even happy they say we should go home, at least we will go and eat good and sufficient food. As for food at the dining hall if you don’t go there early, you won’t get some to eat, even while you are there, the food they will serve for a table of 12 or 14 is even not enough for eight students”, one of the students whose school is closer to a well-known highway in Kumasi lamented.

Parents lament

Some parents are reported to have said that the Free SHS policy has brought them untold burdens much against their expectations.

One of them said he has to send weekly money of GH50 cedis to his daughter for her upkeep.

Another said his daughter finishes her provisions for the term in a month because she largely depends on it.

In all, the parents are happy to have their children return home to them.