Barely a day after Joy News’ broadcast on food shortage in the Damongo Senior High School (SHS) and the likelihood of it being shut down, the Buffer Stock Company Limited has, in a sharp U-turn, sent two trucks of food items to the school.

The company by-passed its accredited suppliers assigned to the year groups, from year one to year three in the school to directly respond to their needs in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region.

The first track, which arrived on the night of August 12, 2021, delivered only cornflour (tom brown), and this was shortly followed by the second truck the following morning.

JoyNews' sources at the school indicated that 63 bags of rice, 70 bags of maize and 55 mini bags of beans were received. The rest included 60 cartons of oil and 41 boxes of sardines.

"Yes, we have taken delivery of some foodstuff. Some came last night and this morning, another one", the assistant headmaster, Dramani Kipo, confirmed.

The Savannah Regional Minister, Saeed Muhazu Jebreel, who was at the school, handed over the food to management through Mr Kipo on behalf of the Headmaster, Abu Salia who was away for a meeting with the GES Director-General.

Touching on the government's commitment towards the free SHS Policy, Saeed Muhazu Jebreel said the policy is very dear to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, hence the commitment and determination for its success.

"You have also to put it in mind that the free SHS is very dear to the President and so, we will do everything so that the students don't go hungry, particularly at this time that there is Covid and when Students are asked to be in school and not to move around, definitely they need to follow their rules appropriately," he said.

"And so, that's why the government has passed the Suppliers and to move directly from Buffer Stock to augment the food situation in the school so that the food situation will improve.

“So, we thank Buffer Stock and the Media for making us work appropriately", Mr Jenreel added.

The Assistant Headmaster, on behalf of the Headmaster, expressed gratitude to Buffer Stock, adding that the items have actually come to save the situation,

 "This has saved the situation because we were managing. It has actually come to save the situation now that we have taken these; we can feed them," Mr Dramani Kipo indicated.

It was revealed on August 13, 2012, by the headmasters from public SHS in the five regions of the North to the Director-General of Ghana Education Service (GES), Opoku Prempeh Agyemang Amankwa, that the food shortage situation was not only limited to Damongo SHS or the Savannah Region but the other four regions, namely Northern, North-East and Upper East and West Regions.

The Headmasters also appealed to the Director-General to use his office to help mitigate the conditions of feeding on the various campuses as their stores are currently empty without food.