The global food crisis has taken a toll on Senior High Schools in the Ashanti Region resulting in food rationing to students.
Students are served with two meals a day instead of the usual three meals.
Other food supplements such as bread are also forfeited by the students.
Authorities of the schools describe the situation as a “crisis that can crumble the schools”.
One of the affected students told Nhyira FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah that not only the quantity of the food was affected but also the quality.
He said the students were fed with a monotonous diet of rice.
Officials of the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service however say they are not aware of the food rationing in the schools.
The Public Relation Officer of the regional GES Mr. Owusu Agyeman described the situation as normal.
He said the situation was not as a result of the global food crisis explaining that there were such problems during the lean season.
Mr. Agyeman said a meeting will be held with Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to try and deal with the situation.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of CHASS, Mr. Owusu Achiaw told Joy News that if the trend was not reversed it could degenerate into some chaos.
He said the astronomical increases in food prices made it practically impossible for school authorities of the schools to provide the same quantity of food that was being provided for students.
That situation he said came about as a result of lack of corresponding increases in government subvention.
While the government approves 80GP per student, the schools were spending GH¢ 1 on each student.
He expressed fears that if the situation was not tackled, students could take to the streets and create unrest in the schools.
According to him the schools had held meetings with the students to try and make them understand the current challenges facing the authorities.
Mr. Achiaw who is also the Headmaster of Prempeh College said an agreement to provide students with bread 5 times a week had been reached.
He said to save situation the government should have put up food depots that would sell food items to schools at subsidized prices.
“If care is not taken the schools will crumble with this crisis”, he warned.
The government Spokesperson on Social Services, Mr. Kofi Amponsah Bediako stressed the need for the schools to be helped to identify sources of cheap food items to help resolve the crisis.
He advised that the matter be immediately reported to the GES to enable the authorities take urgent measures to address it.
