The Northern Chapter of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has threatened to close down Senior High Schools in the five northern regions over what they described as non payment of monies for perishables.
This was contained in a letter issued by the membership of CHASS in the north after an emergency meeting in tamale on Monday August 15.
Further stated in the release, it said working partners in schools have restricted their services due to the severe accrued to unavailability of funds to run schools.
The heads in the region hinted that, for close to eleven weeks of the first semester for the 2021/2022 academic year, funds for perishable foods have not been paid.
FULL STATEMENT:
After a emergency meeting of Northern regions CHASS on August 15 2022 it came clear:
- Apart from arrears owed us in respect of perishable for the first semester of 2021/2022 academic year, no money has been paid for the eleven weeks of the second semester we have done so far, this makes going to the market very difficult.
- Suppliers who give us credit for perishable items like eggs and meat are not ready to continue with the supply owing to the amounts of indebtedness.
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- On the foregoing, we wish to state that if we do not get immediate releases the SHS 1 students of the single truck schools who would be due to return to school tomorrow Tuesday, August 16, 2022 would not report until we get money. This also include those in transitional schools who are also billed to report on September 4 2022.
- Heads of Schools in the Region would be compelled to send the SHS 2 students who are in their second semester home
- Lastly, Management is also entreated to pay the recurrent expenditure of the schools, which has been in arrears since last year. The non payment of this component of our money is affecting smooth running of our schools in issues such as maintenance and repairs, field trips, practical lessons in our laboratories etc.