The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, says the government has put in place measures to permanently address food shortages in senior high schools under the Free SHS programme.
Speaking at the commissioning of the National Teaching Council regional office complex in Tamale, the minister assured the public that adequate financial provisions had been secured to ensure uninterrupted food supply to students across the country.
According to a report, Iddrisu explained that a review of the Free SHS policy exposed recurring food supply challenges that disrupted academic activities in several schools.
He noted that in some instances, schools were compelled to suspend academic work or send students home due to inadequate food supplies.
“Having examined the feeding of Free Senior High School students, we realized that there were many times that schools had to be closed down or, in the course of the academic year, students had to be asked to go home because there was inadequate food. That is now a thing of the past,” he stated.
The minister further disclosed that funding arrangements for the programme have been strengthened through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to guarantee sustainable financing for the Free SHS policy.
“There are adequate resources and adequate funding from GETFund to finance Free Senior High School,” he added.
Iddrisu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining and improving the flagship education programme to ensure uninterrupted teaching and learning in secondary schools.