The government is being urged to cut what many have described as its wasteful expenditure, reduce the government size and direct said monies to properly funding and maintaining the Free Senior High School programme, particularly, in the area of feeding.
The government would have been in a better financial position and able to concentrate on other important issues in the education sector if it had responded to the calls for the financial obligations of second cycle education to be shared by the parents, guardians, and the government.
However, because parents are not in worse financial shape than before, the government cannot contribute to the expense of running second cycle education. This is because, the financial predicament of the parents could get even worse if the government tried to split expenditures with them. This is why the government is expected to continue to bear fully, the cost of the Free SHS programme.
To however maintain it at a level that is of good quality, the government has to reduce its appetite for wasteful ventures and channel though resources into funding the programme.
Nii Armah Addy, a Management and Education Expert said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show today, Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
“Government would have to change some things. Leadership must live by showing example. Example here means sacrifice. Government has been called upon several times to reduce its size. We have spoken to the government to reduce the size of the convoy, to reduce the perks given to public officers and public appointees.”
To help deal with the food crisis at the second cycle level, the government must pay attention to increase food production. Government could, for example, fund largely, organisations that food production biassed under its programme, YouStart and “not the cosmetic thing we do at the Ministry of Food and all that.”
“If we can improve on our food production, then feeding would go on very well in our schools,” he said.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
