Story: News Desk 

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, has proposed involving parents through Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) in the feeding component of the Free SHS programme.

Addressing church leaders in Accra, Dr Bawumia stated that this suggestion will be presented to Cabinet for consideration, aiming to actively engage parents in ensuring their wards receive proper nourishment at school.

He said it will also help parents and guardians track what their wards are fed and also check the theft of food items by some kitchen staff across various SHSs in the country.

“We should bring the PTA to observe and they therefore will know that the headmasters and the matrons will know, that the parents know because as it is now, if they get five bags, they may declare one bag if nobody is looking and so this is a brilliant and realistic suggestion.”

The Free SHS policy was introduced by the New Patriotic Party and aims to take out the element of cost as a barrier to education, according to the policy’s brief.

Under the policy, every Ghanaian child who attains the pass mark, as agreed for the year by the Ghana Education Service Council, enjoys a three-year scholarship for secondary education.