Executive Director for Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare says they have not heard any JHS student complaining of hunger as stated by the President.
According to him, this is more of a political issue than an edutional one.
“The President’s decision to provide one hot meal a day for JHS final year students is a good token, it’s just a token and good gesture from the President. For us monitoring school reopening for the past six weeks since JHSs have reopened we have not heard of any student complaining of hunger, maybe the President want to show them some ‘Father Christmas’ move.
We may have saved a lot of money between from March when school closed and then now from the school feeding program because no one is feeding anyone. But there should be a much better way of using such funds than cooking for everyone when we don’t need the foods coming at the back of how we managed funds during the lockdown.”
President Akufo-Addo yesterday instructed the Gender Minister to provide one hot meal a day for JHS final year students.
The President during his 15th Covid-19 address said some final year JHS students are going hungry due to their adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Due to this, he has instructed the Gender Minister to begin preparations to ensure that, as from 24th August to 18TH September 584, 000 final year students across the country and 146,000 are provided with one hot meal a day.
“Our phased approach towards returning our lives to normal, through the strategic, controlled, progressive, and safe easing of restrictions, will, thus, continue. Most final year university students have already completed their examinations, and, by 18thSeptember, SHS 3 and JHS 3 students would have finished their respective final examinations of WASSCE and BECE.
As a result of reports I have recently received thatsome final year JHS students were going hungry, in complying with COVID-19 protocols, I have just instructed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to begin preparations to ensure that, as from 24th August up to 18th September,all five hundred and eighty-four thousand (584,000) final year JHS students,and one hundred and forty-six thousand (146,000) staff, both in public and private schools, be given one hot meal a day.This is to ensure full observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols.”
