The Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) has appealed to parents to provide supplementary food supplies for their children, as senior high schools face severe shortages due to financial challenges affecting the Free SHS program.
Primus Baro, the National Secretary of CHASS, highlighted the gravity of the situation in an interview with Joy News. He explained that many schools, particularly in the Upper West, Upper East, and Northern regions, are struggling to provide basic meals due to delayed government payments for food supplies.
“Food supplies are critically low in many schools,” Baro stated. “In some regions, schools are even unable to procure basic necessities like cooking oil, leaving them unable to meet students’ nutritional needs.”
To address this dire situation, CHASS has advised parents to send their children with additional food items such as gari, shito, and sugar to help bridge the gap.
“This is not an ideal situation,” Baro admitted. “But it is a temporary measure to ensure students receive adequate nutrition while we navigate these challenges.”
Despite earlier calls by CHASS to postpone school reopening to address the financial constraints, schools resumed operations, leaving administrators grappling with limited resources.
The Free SHS program, introduced to provide equitable access to education, continues to face challenges such as inadequate funding, infrastructure deficits, and concerns over the sustainability of its implementation.
