Prof Jane Opoku Agyemang, Minister of Education
Headmasters in the three regions of the North have threatened to postpone the re-opening of schools over feeding grant arrears.
Some parents have expressed their worry that the situation could have adverse effects on the academic work of their wards.
The Northern Regional branch of the Parent Teacher Association of second cycle institutions is urging the Minister of Education and the Director General of Ghana Education Service (GES) to pay off the huge debt of all the boarding schools in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West Regions respectively.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, the Chairman of the Northern Regional Branch of Parent Teacher Association of Second Cycle Institutions, Alhaji Abdul Malik Salifu Husseini said they were reliably informed that the schools are indebted to food suppliers for three terms.
According to him, two terms of 2015/2016 and the 1st term of 2016/2017 making it a whole year was in arrears and such indebtedness would not allow them to go back to the suppliers.
There are threats that schools may not be able to re-open for the 2nd term of 2016/2017 if funds are not released for the payment of the outstanding debts.
Information available to DAILY GUIDE revealed that no firm re-opening date had been given for the second term.
Parents are therefore appealing to the government through the Director General of GES to expedite action on the payment of the arrears.
It would be recalled that Shaibu Adams Wilberforce, the Headmaster of Tamale Senior High School, who doubles as chairman of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), indicated during the 65th anniversary of Tamasco that Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the three northern regions had operated without feeding grants for the past two terms.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale