Re-opening of SHS in 3 northern regions delayed
The reopening date for senior high schools (SHS), technical and vocational institutes in the three northern regions has been postponed as a result the delay in the release of feeding grants to the schools by the government.
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The students, who were scheduled to report to school yesterday, have been asked to wait until April 27, 2015, in the hope that the grants would be released by then.
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Alhaji Mohammed Haroun, who confirmed the postponement of the reopening dates in an interview, explained that most of the schools were cash-strapped, while suppliers were unwilling to supply food to them until they had settled outstanding indebtedness to them.
He, however, said the Ministry of Finance was working around the clock to ensure that the feeding grants were released to the heads of schools this week to enable the students to return to school on April 27, 2015.
“For now, we have asked all the students who reported on Monday to go back home and report next week Monday, by which time the schools would have been given their feeding grants”, Alhaji Haroun said.
CHASS
The Northern Regional Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) and Headmaster of the Tamale SHS (TAMASCO), Alhaji T.A. Mahama, said the suppliers were unwilling to heed the plea of school heads until they were paid.
When the Daily Graphic visited some of the SHSs in the Tamale Metropolis, some of the students who had already reported said they had been asked by their school authorities to go back home until a new reopen date was communicated to them.
Background
This is not the first time SHSs in the three northern regions had had to postpone their reopening dates due to the delay in the release of feeding grants to them.
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In the early part of 2014, the 83 SHS had to reopen partially by admitting only final-year students due to the late release of feeding grant by the government.
In a bid to bridge the development gap between the northern sector and the south, governments over the years have been providing feeding grants for students in schools in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions and some selected schools in the northern part of the Volta and northern part of the Brong Ahafo regions.