Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has warned that Senior High School (SHS) managers who deny students adequate and nutritious meals will face severe sanctions if found culpable.
Dr Apaak issued the warning in a Facebook post on Saturday, aligning himself with an official statement from the Ghana Education Service (GES) following reports of an alleged feeding situation at Savelugu Senior High School in the Northern Region.
“Our students deserve balanced, nutritious and sufficient meals. Government has made sufficient funds available to ensure that,” the Deputy Minister stated.
He cautioned that school heads, matrons and bursars who engage in practices that deprive students of proper feeding would be held personally accountable.
“Managers of our secondary schools whose conduct denies our students good meals will face severe consequences if found complicit,” he added.
The warning follows a statement from the GES acknowledging a video circulating on social media that raised concerns about food provision at Savelugu Senior High School. According to the Service, management had taken notice of the allegations and initiated investigations into the matter.
“Management of the Ghana Education Service has sighted a video circulating on social media about an alleged food situation at Savelugu Senior High School,” the statement said.
The GES stressed that student feeding remains a priority, describing any form of mismanagement as a serious offence.
“Management takes the quality of student feeding very seriously, hence it prioritises quality feeding and views mismanagement as a serious offence,” the statement noted.
While addressing public concerns, the Service clarified that the reported incident should not be considered a reflection of the national situation.
“Management wishes to assure the public, especially parents, that the incident at Savelugu Senior High School is an isolated case and does not reflect the overall feeding status nationwide,” it said.
GES further disclosed that investigations had already commenced and announced plans to intensify unannounced monitoring visits to senior high schools across the country.
The Service also appealed to school authorities and other stakeholders to cooperate fully with management and promptly report challenges for timely intervention.
Dr Apaak’s intervention reinforces government’s position that funding constraints cannot be used to justify poor feeding practices, particularly at a time when resources have been made available to support students’ welfare.
