Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta says government is not oblivious of the challenges in accessing and transporting food to students in Senior High Schools across the country.
He says government has put measures in place to address such challenges.
Presenting the mid-year review of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament on Monday 25 July 2022, the Minister indicated that government has engaged stakeholders and devised a programme that will ensure that schools will not be disrupted, and students will be well-fed.
“We are aware of reported challenges in accessing and transporting food for students in SHS and we are fixing it.”
“Government has also recently completed 17 additional projects including classroom blocks, dormitories, staff bungalows, and libraries as part of the infrastructural expansion in Senior High Schools. To deal with the record increases in student numbers,” he added.
The Finance Minister also stressed government’s interest in human capital development.
“It has been at the core of our national transformation efforts since 2017. We have invested GH¢5.3 billion to enable 1,261,495 Ghanaian children access to secondary education under the Free SHS programme at the end of 2021 to improve access to education. Out of the 571,892 registered JHS candidates, 555,353, representing 97.1 percent, were placed into SHS this year.”
Senior High School authorities across the country threatened to shut down schools if the government fails to supply them with adequate foodstuff to feed students.
A number of extracurricular activities in senior high schools have been suspended following the food challenges.
