Reports in the media, suggesting that students in Teacher Training Colleges in the country, will start feeding themselves is to say the least disturbing.
According to the reports, Principals of Colleges of Education, had directed that Teacher Trainees, will begin feeding themselves from May 8, due to non-payment of feeding grants.
This is a clear indication that all is not well in the way and manner the current government is handling education in the country.
The seeming disdain to cripple the sector, which is producing the future leaders of the country, is alarming and all well-meaning Ghanaians must call the government to order.
Thus far, every level from primary, secondary and tertiary, have had its fair share of the neglect.
Thankfully, the threat has paid off, as the government has released an amount of GH₵67,942,652 has been released to the Colleges of Education to cater for the feeding of teacher trainees.
This was announced by the minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum in a press conference on Wednesday.
We wish to point out that, colleges of education are not the only ones which had to issue a threat because suppliers are owed arrears for several months, Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools {CHASS}, since the introduction of the Free Senior High Schools, have had to threaten a shutdown or actually gone ahead to do that by vacating the students early, because funding to feed the students, has not been forthcoming.
This trend is becoming the new normal, where threat has to be issued before the government rises to its responsibility. Education is the backbone of every nation and so everything must be done to ensure the smooth running of schools at every level.
The advent of the Covid-19, has affected academic calendar, any further delay, will derail any gains made so far.
The Akufo-Addo administration should take urgent steps to ensure that feeding grants are released to the schools timeously.
