Students of St. John Bosco’s College of Education in Navrongo in the Upper East Region have expressed concern that the government’s decision to discontinue feeding teacher trainees will intensify their financial struggles amidst the current economic hardship.
According to them, many of their peers are already struggling to pay their school fees, and the added responsibility of covering their meal expenses will only serve to intensify their financial difficulties.
In an interview with Xtreme Media Online on Friday, February 7, the students countered the argument that since university students cater to their own meals, students in colleges of education should do the same. However, they explained that many of them chose to attend colleges of education because the government provided meals and allowances, which made tertiary education more accessible and affordable for them.
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Joseph is a student from St. John Bosco’s College of Education who shared his opinion on the matter, explaining that he may not be able to feed himself if the government decides to stop feeding them.
“Some of us find it very difficult to get money to pay our school fees, and now that the feeding fee is being taken away, it means that that burden is going to be added to the fees we pay yearly. and so at the end of the day, most of us are likely to drop out or stop schooling,: he said.
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Background:
After meeting with principals in several Accra-based educational institutions, the minister of education, Haruna Iddrisu, disclosed that the policy that supports this initiative of feeding students in the colleges of education is unsustainable and also lacks compliance with international best practices in higher education.
The Minister stressed that providing meals for tertiary students is not a government responsibility, citing that it is unsustainable for the state to continue supporting students at this educational level
However, the minister assured that the government will introduce an improved student loan program to replace the current feeding program to enable students to cover their living expenses.