Headmasters to Resume Food Procurement for Students Under NDC, Says Asiedu Nketia.

Kumasi: The responsibility for the procurement of food items for Senior High Schools (SHSs) is set to return to headmasters under the next government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). This decision is part of a proposed plan to review the Free Senior High School Policy to improve the quality of food provided to students.According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the National Chairman of the NDC, highlighted that the current system, where various suppliers are contracted to supply different foodstuffs, is affecting the quality of food served in schools. Speaking at a community engagement in the Suame Constituency during his retail campaign in the Ashanti Region, Mr. Asiedu Nketia claimed that the arrangement was a tactic to exploit state resources through procurement.He alleged that school authorities are sometimes forced to serve students the same food for several days because of suppliers' failure to deliver contracted items. This situation, he noted, leaves school heads with lit tle choice but to serve whatever is available, depriving students of a balanced diet. While acknowledging the benefits of the policy, Mr. Nketia emphasized the need for a review to enhance its implementation and effectiveness.Moreover, Mr. Nketia reiterated the NDC's commitment to abolish the double track system, aiming to allow all students to attend school simultaneously. He announced plans to complete all abandoned E-blocks and expand facilities in SHSs within the NDC's first year in office to accommodate all students at once.He addressed concerns that these measures were misrepresented as attempts to cancel the policy, urging Ghanaians to dismiss such claims. 'We are committed to ending the double track system and enabling headmasters to procure food for their students to enhance the policy,' he asserted.