NDC accuses govt of collapsing SHS by starving students in Upper West Region

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the government of trying to collapse secondary education in the Upper West Region by failing to supply Senior High Schools in the area with food.

The party is alleging that almost all Senior High schools in the region are operating without adequate food supplies from the government, compelling students to go without food for days.

Addressing the media today [May 22] 2023, the Upper West Regional Communication Officer of the NDC, Issah Kantagyere, opined that nearly six years after the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy, most senior high schools in the Upper West Region are on the verge of collapse due to the government's inability to honour its financial obligations to them.

The Communications Officer explained that the situation compelled his outfit to conduct research on the welfare of students in the various Senior High Schools in the region, and it came out that not even a single Senior High school is providing the required quality and quantity of food, with the majority of them currently running without providing food to the students.

The party has given the government a two-week ultimatum to address the issues, or else they will take a series of actions that will force the Ministry of Education to supply the necessary food and ingredients to prevent the schools from collapsing.

The Upper West Region has a total of 42 boarding/day public Senior High Schools with nearly 50,000 enrolments.

However, the regional coordinator of the Free Senior High School program acknowledged that some schools are currently facing feeding challenges. He assured that necessary steps have been taken to address the situation.