Kofi Asare Proposes a Reset in SHS Food Procurement, Financing and Management
The Executive Director of the education think tank, Ghana Education Watch (Eduwatch), Mr Kofi Asare has made a strong case for a review of the procurement, financing and management of food in the country’s Senior High Schools (SHS).
This follows the government’s release of emergency cash to second-cycle institutions to buy their own food.
According to him, this response is not effective as has been occasioned by food shortages and will last for just a month.
“When the dust settles, school heads will not have cash in advance to procure,” he remarked.
He therefore proposed the review of the food procurement, financing and management system before decentralizing to schools, making five recommendations.
“If in doubt about the procurement and stores management capacity in SHS, read the Auditor-General’s Reports on SHS from 2013 to 2023.
“Without fixing these, we may rush to decentralize inefficiencies for the same problems to come haunting sooner than later. I expect CHASS themselves to be demand-driven in getting MoE to address these deficits.”
He recommended:
1. Build SHS capacity in procurement, contract and store management.
2. Institute stores management oversight systems by GES/MoE.
3. Strengthen internal audit controls in stores.
4. Document, communicate and enforce sanctions for breaches.
5. Align cashflow of MoF to MoE’s free SHS cashflow projections. This must ensure cash is transferred to schools every 60 days or less to finance suppliers’ credit. This is key to avoiding food shortages.
