The deputy ranking member on the Education Committee in Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak has said the government must stop the pretense of covering up the challenges that have bedeviled the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy.

This comes on the back of Binduri Community Day Senior High School in the Upper East Region closing down because the students are not getting their regular hot meals for the past two weeks.

The caterer in the school has stopped cooking over arrears owed her for the past two years. As a result of lack of food for the school, some aggrieved students have refused to be in class leading to the temporary closure of the school.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Francis Abban Thursday, the Builsa South lawmaker called on the government to open up on the challenges for a round table discussion.

“If the monies are not available, the President and his government should be candid in telling the good people of Ghana that the monies are simply not available to continue funding the program. Let’s hold a round table forum to see how the rest of us as parents, as a society, as PTAs can come in to support the delivery of the program. But this pretense that all is well and done and yet we know there are issues, clearly is not going to inure to the benefit of the poor student. It is not their fault.

“So it is sad, but I hope that the policymakers and the government of the day will open up and be transparent and honest about what exactly is going on. Because something simply doesn’t add up,” Dr. Apaak stated.

However, the Leadership of the National Food Suppliers Association has rejected part payment of money owed them by the government after a meeting with the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.

The group who last Friday suspended their picketing at the premises of the National Buffer Stock Company after 4 days of sleeping there were assured of steps to get their about 270 million cedi debt owed them paid by the 17th of this month.

However, after a meeting with the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the food suppliers said the minister pledged that the Ministry of Finance is in the process of releasing part of their arrears this week since government is not in the position to pay the arrears in full.