By Deborah Naa Aku Allotey
Tema, Jan. 10, GNA - Some residents in Tema Community One have backed the call from the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) for parents to provide feeding for their wards in senior high schools.
This follows ongoing challenges with food supplies in some schools under the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme.
CHASS had stated that parents have a role to play in supporting their children’s education to supplement what the government had to offer, lamenting that the recent irregular food deliveries to schools put a strain on the ability of schools to consistently provide healthy meals for students.
Speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, Mr. Benjamin Bayor, a civil servant, said three square meals for students every day for a whole semester was too much for the government.
“Free SHS is not the only policy the government is implementing; hence, all the government funds cannot be used for it,” he said.
Mrs. Abena Osei, a trader, noted that the initiative could foster a better partnership between parents and schools, stressing that “It’s not always easy, but we must ensure our children are healthy and ready to learn.
Some residents also called on the government to address the root causes of the food supply challenges in schools, adding that while parents were willing to help, long-term solutions were needed to sustain the FSHS programme.
Mrs. Patricia Mensah, a shop attendant and a single mother, suggested that the government should provide food for students with poor backgrounds for the time being while looking for a lasting solution to the challenge.
She explained that there would be pressure on some parents if they were to solely provide feeding for the wards in school.
GNA