Boarding and Day Students Must Pay for Feeding
Dr. Charles Aheto-Tsegah, the former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), is advocating for immediate reforms in the management of Senior High Schools (SHSs) across Ghana. He stressed the need to address the rising costs of feeding students, proposing that both boarding and day students should contribute towards their meal expenses.
In his view, this adjustment would ease the financial strain on the government, which has faced challenges in consistently funding student meals. Dr. Aheto-Tsegah shared these insights during an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face program.
Additionally, Dr. Aheto-Tsegah highlighted the urgent requirement for infrastructural reforms in SHSs. He underlined the importance of reducing overcrowding to foster a healthier and more conducive learning environment while also minimizing the risk of disease outbreaks in schools.
“What we can do is to reduce the focus on boarding, that is why President Mahama [previously] started with the E-block schools. Increase the day school system, increase the community day school system and ensure that everybody goes to a school that is closer to the person.
“And here in this matter, we will need to review the Computerised School Selection and Programme system. When that happens, you won’t have the day students being fed.
“It’s also very expensive to feed day students, if they want to be fed they must pay. Free SHS should have boarders paying for their food. Because they are in the school, you pay to the school. If you go to the boarding house, you pay for feeding.”
Furthermore, he proposed that the government should support students facing significant financial difficulties by providing their meals, ensuring that no student goes hungry due to financial constraints.
Source: quarmsmedia.com