Joseph Kumi urges government to deal with people involved in diversion of food supplies in SHS

Food diversion is nothing new at the Senior High Schools across the country as bursars, matrons and headmasters connive and take home food items meant for students.

The practice makes life so difficult for the learners as they always complain of poor food served to them in the various SHSs, which, at the end of the day, puts much pressure on the government.

The latest episode of the food diversion at the SHS was the bursar of Ghanata Senior High School, Lamisi Sarah, for allegedly diverting food provisions for students for her personal gain.

It was initially a rumour until Linda Ocloo. The MP for Shai-Osudoku, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Minister, confirmed the news and the arrest of Mrs Lamisi to Ghanaians.

Joseph Kumi, the Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Education Committee has expressed his unhappiness with the trend by recounting some of the incidents in food diversion at the Senior High Schools.

“The case did not happen only in this school(Ghanata SHS). When the president took over office, some schools had written to the president, and they even delayed reopening school because they had no food. Parents had to provide extra food and provisions for their wards before they could go to school. The president had to order that all warehouses with food should release them to the schools,” he revealed.

“That moment they did that, in the Volta Region, when the food was on its way — a car carrying canned tomatoes and some rice offloaded into a private vehicle. They were caught,” Kumi said.

“In the same way, in the Upper West, a matron was caught with food. This development is terrible. How can we be doing this to our children? Now the children are on a balanced diet, and the workers there want to take the food away from them. There are still bad nuts in the system. These people should be dealt with,” Mr Kumi concluded.

Only stricter regulations can stop this trend, as it has existed for more than 50 years.