A high-level stakeholder meeting convened by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to address growing concerns over the sustainability of feeding under Ghana’s Free Senior High School programme has ended in a stalemate, deepening uncertainty over the policy’s implementation.

The meeting, which brought together key institutions including the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the Conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (COPTI), the Ghana Commodity Exchange, the National Food Buffer Stock Company, and the Free SHS Secretariat, was aimed at resolving mounting operational challenges affecting school feeding.

The engagement followed a formal petition by CHASS, which raised concerns over the difficulty in procuring perishable food items needed to sustain daily meals for students.

The concerns were reinforced by COPTI, pointing to increasing pressure on school authorities.

After listening to the submissions, the Minister directed GETFund to maintain the current arrangement that allows CHASS to independently procure perishable food items to support feeding in schools.

However, the directive was strongly opposed by the GETFund Administrator, who reportedly challenged the Minister’s authority over procurement decisions.

In what sources describe as a tense exchange, the Administrator is said to have insisted that procurement matters fall outside the Minister’s direct oversight and indicated he would not comply with the directive.

The disagreement resulted in a deadlock, leaving the central issue unresolved and exposing coordination gaps among key institutions responsible for implementing the policy.

Meanwhile, CHASS has issued a warning, indicating that schools may be forced to shut down if urgent financial support is not provided to enable the procurement of perishable food items.

The inconclusive outcome raises concerns about potential disruptions to the feeding component of the Free SHS programme, which could affect thousands of students nationwide.

Stakeholders are expected to reconvene in the coming days as efforts continue to find a coordinated and sustainable solution to the challenges.