A video shared by social media influencer KalyJay has confirmed the many challenges facing government over the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
One of the main challenges has to do with financial resources, which has adversely impacted the supply of food to schools for students.
In the video credited to Kobby Kyei News shared by KalyJay, students of a senior high school are gathered at the cafeteria for lunch. A table hosts about 10 students. The meal to be eaten was rice and groundnut soup. The rice was to be dished from a saucepan, which is definitely not sufficient for 10 male teens.
Most shocking was the content of the soup. To the surprise of blogger, Kobby Kyei, who can be heard interrogating the students, he found a tiny fish in the soup to be distributed among 10 students.
He asked, “So this is for all of you. One fish is for all of you?” Kobby Kyei moved to another table and found out the same fate.
Companies that have been contracted by the government to provide foodstuffs and school materials to SHSs say that they are yet to receive payment from the government.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, made this known in a press release.
“While at it, be informed that some suppliers of school uniforms and sports apparels have indicated privately, that government owes them too. Equally intriguing is, that since the implementation of the fSHS, some absorbed fees have never been released to schools, thereby creating some serious financial management constraints for Heads of Secondary Schools, in those respects,” Dr. Clement Apaak
Since 2022, SHSs have had to battle the shortage of food, which led to some students abandoning school for their respective homes.