Ministry of Education official claims food shortage issue has been forced by media
Senior large schools throughout the place have been facing critical meals shortages.
Area trainer, Kofi, discovered that on many instances, learners have been turned absent from the dining corridor owing to food stuff shortages.
But Deputy Pro for the Ministry of Instruction, Yaw Opoku Mensah, denies that any college student has been refused three daily foods.
“It’s just not the case that any college student has not been given breakfast, lunch, or supper,” Mensah said.
A latest MyJoyOnline.com report showcased reporter Emmanuel Brilliant Quaicoe’s engagement with community learners who had to obtain their meals mainly because of a dining corridor closure.
Speaking with David Akuetteh on Luv In the Early morning on Luv FM, Mr. Mensah explained that this is only untrue as he was present at the faculty in concern and nothing of the kind transpired.
“When I was there, just about no a person was there…students experienced remaining for the Eid break and the remaining experienced still left for Salah,” he mentioned. “The eating corridor was shut because of to the break…students staying on campus in excess of the crack report their intentions to the school in buy to be catered for, it’s probably that these learners experienced not completed so or ended up reporting falsely.”
Mr. Mensah claimed that questionable reporting of the food lack concern by the media has induced pressure for dad and mom.
“The media has taken a biased and normally false stance on the problem,” he said, “If I ended up a parent, even I’d come to be fearful since mothers and fathers pick up whichever the media places out.”
He additional that the most vital detail is that food has been dispatched to schools and need to be gained by the close of Wednesday at the most recent.
Investigation Fellow at Africa Training Enjoy, Divine Kpe dismissed Mr. Mensah’s claim.
“Let’s not fake that this difficulty is out of the blue or the media is overdoing it…this has been an difficulty for decades.”
Mr. Kpe expressed his disappointment at the problem.
“Why are we in a condition where by teachers are buying and selling and borrowing from every other?” Mr. Kpe requested. “Why are head lecturers having to establish a college-foodstuff financial system?”
He pointed out that the government is only not able to recognize the severity of the dilemma.
“Even when educational institutions have food, college students are pressured to eat the same food three moments a working day for weeks if not months,” he claimed. “The trouble is common and is not just of shortage…food is been given weeks late.”
Mr. Kpe and Deputy Pro for the Ministry of Instruction, Yaw Opoku Mensah agreed that the issue goes further than the Ministry of Instruction.
“The Ministry of Instruction is helpless because the Ministry of Finance is not upholding its guarantees,” Mr. Mensah claimed. “They have not been distributing money to senior significant educational facilities consistently, so faculties really do not have the finances to influence meals source.”
Analysis Fellow at Africa Education Check out, Divine Kpe believes that government’s economic insecurity stems from its Free of charge Senior Higher University Plan.
“The policy was inaugurated 6 many years ago and has exhausted government’s schooling budget,” he explained. “Government is struggling to stability the policy and other challenges concurrently which is a recipe for catastrophe.”
Mr. Kpe alleged that the governing administration is only distributing foodstuff now for the reason that the subject has entered the media room.
Nearby instructor, Kofi, who is also a businessman, presented another angle on the problem.
“I have good friends who are food items suppliers and they’ve advised me that they have arrears from govt from about a yr ago,” Kofi stated. “How can we count on suppliers to source food when they have not been paid out?”
Mr. Kpe reinforced that the authorities requirements to choose information from professionals and people influenced by the issue or the repercussions will be consequential.
“If the issue of meals scarcity isn’t solved, I’m fearful there will be no alternative but to near educational institutions,” Mr. Kpe explained.
