The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper East Region has expressed deep concern over the insufficiency of both quality and quantity of food being served to students in public second cycle institutions across the region.
The party has emphasised that immediate action must be taken to address this issue, as it could lead to severe health and nutritional consequences among the students if left unattended.
The NDC has called for urgent intervention from relevant authorities to ensure that students receive nutritious meals in sufficient amounts. It is crucial to prioritise the well-being of the students, as their physical and cognitive development heavily relies on a balanced and nourishing diet.
By highlighting this pressing matter, the NDC aims to draw attention to the potential risks faced by students due to inadequate food provisions. The party strongly urges the responsible authorities to take immediate steps to rectify the situation and provide students with the necessary nutrition they require for optimal growth and development.
The concerns were contained in a statement signed by the Upper East Regional Communication Officer for the NDC, Jonathan Abdallah Salifu and copied to this website.
“The worrying lack of food for the feeding of Senior High School students throughout the Upper East Region is of great concern to the National Democratic Congress and people of the region. Our investigations in Senior High Schools across the region have revealed that they are all currently faced with severe food shortage. The phenomenon has resulted in two scenarios: either students are fed similar meals each day throughout the week or they are fed with poorly balanced meals. As a result, many of our students at that level are afflicted with several illnesses and deficiencies. The development has sparked students’ protests in some schools, most notably Our Lady of Lourdes (O.L.L) Senior High School in the Kassena Nankana East Municipality, Navrongo, and raised fears of rising tension and possible riots if prompt action is not taken to resolve the issue. We have become aware of the fact that the reason for these avoidable food shortage in our schools is not only due to lack of funds, also is as a result of this government’s ill thought through decision to award the supply of non-perishable food items to their political appointees and party apparatchiks, first to the Buffer Stock Company and subsequently to the Ghana Commodity Exchange in response to claims of avarice over profits of corrupt arrangements from the former.”
“It is proper and right that every child is fed with nutritious and balanced meal while pursuing their education and that the current situation undermines this basic right. Besides, it is disheartening for parents and Ghanaians to read and see reports of thousands of our students who hold the potential to shape our nation’s future face such levels of hunger and malnutrition due to the failure of government to adequately plan and provide the needed resources to address the food needs of our senior high school students. We believe that the secret to creating a prosperous country is to make real investments in the growth and development of the youth. The lack of proper nutrition in our Senior High Schools has a detrimental effect on the physical and mental health of these students. This hinders their ability to focus on their studies thereby leading to poor learning outcomes. Education is the backbone of every country, so it is the responsibility of government to consciously invest substantially to in it to guarantee that our children have the support they need to succeedthe statement said.”
Meanwhile, the party has calling on the government to, as a matter of urgency, review its flagship education programme, the Free SHS policy.
In a statement copied to this website, the NDC in the Upper East Region, led by its Regional Communication Officer, Jonathan Salifu Abdallah, explained that the challenges with the Free SHS programme have become too many.
It would be recalled that students of Our Lady of Lourdes Girls’ Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality of the Upper East Region protested on Monday, May 22, 2023, over what they described as “poor and tasteless” food prepared for them over the past weeks.
Read full statement here: THE NDC- UPPER EAST REGION DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ACTION FROM GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS FOOD SHORTAGE IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE REGION.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
