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Clement Apaak, former Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee, has confirmed that the Ghana Armed Forces have begun distributing food supplies to Senior High Schools (SHSs) across the country.
This action follows President John Mahama’s directive to reallocate food supplies intended for victims of last year’s drought in northern Ghana to schools facing food shortages.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on January 16, 2025, Apaak revealed that the distribution process, which was delayed due to logistical and security concerns, is now underway.
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He assured that all schools would receive their rice allocations by next week, with schools in the Greater Accra area receiving their supplies first.
To ensure the safe delivery of the food, the military and police have been enlisted to assist with transportation.
Apaak emphasised that while this initiative offers immediate relief, plans are also in motion to implement long-term solutions. These include enabling headmasters to independently procure food for their schools, with discussions between the Chief of Staff, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Education already underway.
Alongside the distribution, Primus Baro, General Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS), confirmed that the government would release emergency funds by January 17, 2025, to provide for student meals for the next 31 days.
This temporary measure comes after food shortages forced schools to rely on supplementary contributions from parents.
Despite only two of the required 18 food items being available for distribution, authorities are hopeful that these immediate measures will stabilise the situation as they work on longer-term solutions for the country’s education sector.
