Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak has asked the Education Ministry to admit there are food shortages in various senior high schools.

Joy News checks at some senior high schools particularly the Walewale Vocational and Technical Institute in the North East Region indicate students have been on a diet of gari owing to food shortage.

Some heads of schools had also warned of a possible closure of schools following the unavailability of food items to cater for the student population.

However, the Education Ministry has denied the allegations. The Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum in an interview on Peace FM on Wednesday disclosed that all schools have been supplied with foodstuffs and called on the heads of schools who made the allegation to update the public on the supply of foodstuffs to the schools.

But Dr. Clement Apaak in reacting to the matter said the Ministry must admit there are challenges and “call a spade a spade” when referring to issues of food shortages in senior high schools.

He explained that per his own monitoring there are food shortages in senior high schools which has not only been precipitated by the increasing prices of foodstuffs.

According to him, the Education Ministry’s attempt to dismiss the allegation will not help solve the matter.

“I think that the Minister’s reaction to what is a challenge well-known to students, to parents, to heads of institutions, is surprising…the Minister and the Ministry and government can try to excuse themselves as much as possible, I dare say and it is on record that the situation that we are dealing with did not start yesterday or last month.

“When you try to dismiss it and make it look as though it is not true, headmasters are writing letters to make you look bad and even if you hear the Minister’s response it is very threatening.

“I beg the Minister … we ought to call a spade, a spade. Let us admit the challenge and let us work in addressing them. He clearly has not been admissible…I do not understand why it is difficult for the Ministry to admit,” Dr. Apaak said on Newsnight on Wednesday.

He urged the government to rather admit to the challenges for all stakeholders to combine efforts to deal with the matter.