Re-set food procurement, financing and management system before decentralizing to schools -Kofi Asare advises government

Mr. Kofi Asare of EDUWATCH has called on the government to re-set food procurement, financing and management system before decentralizing to schools.

He also suggested that “Governing Boards and old students must be interested in how their schools manage and account for resources.”

Read below his take on the subject

EMERGENCY FOOD CASH TO SHS: HEADS ARE HAPPY.

I note that government has transferred emergency cash to SHS for buying their own food; and school heads are happy.

That’s great!

But that’s just a 1-month emergency response occasioned by food shortages at a time a substantive Minister for Education was not at post.

When the dust settles, school heads will not have cash in advance to procure.

That is why we must re-set the food procurement, financing and management system before decentralizing to schools:

1. Build SHS capacity in procurement, contract and stores 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 shortage.

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.

Governing Boards and old students must be interested in how their schools manage and account for resources.

Background of Kofi Asare’s view

On January 22, 2025, an official directive was released and signed by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Deputy Director-General (MS) for Director-General on approval to procure essential food items at the school level, SHS.

It is against this release that Mr. Kofi Asare advised the new government on re-setting food procurement, financing and management system before decentralizing to schools.

THE RELEASE FROM GES READS 

APPROVAL TO PROCURE ESSENTIAL FOOD ITEMS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL

With reference to Letter No. DB225/378/01 A from the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education on the above subject-matter, Management is pleased to officially communicate the granting of approval by the Office of the President to Heads of Public Senior High Schools to procure essential food items needed to feed students for a period of two (2) weeks (20th January 3rd February, 2025).

This is an interim measure to improve the feeding situation in the various public Second Cycle Institutions.

Consequently, disbursement based on student enrollment and approved cost of feeding each student per day has been made to the schools. The approved rate is Seven Cedis Fifty Pesewas (27.50) and Three Cedis (13.00) for boarding and day students respectively. Each school will utilize these funds to procure essential food items available in their localities for the two weeks.

Similarly. Heads of purely Day Schools should engage the services of private caterers to provide a Hot Meal to students at the approved rate.

Regional Directors are kindly requested to bring this to the attention of all Heads of public Senior High, Senior High Technical and STEM Schools and ensure that they comply with the relevant Public Procurement and Financial Management Regulations in the discharge of this mandate: Refer to the attached public procurement guidelines for your information and necessary action.

It is expected that Heads of Schools will strictly follow these guidelines to ensure successful implementation.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh