Pathetic: How Students of Sekondi School for the deaf are fed

• Posted on March 8, 2014March 8, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Authorities of the Sekondi School for the deaf are desperately trying to re-enact the miracle of Bethsaida where Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.

Their attempt at a miracle would however leave the students malnourished if steps are not taken as soon as possible.

Joy News TV’s Joojo Cobbina shares a testimony of how students queue to feed on some kenkey and fish.

The students are entitled to 2 cedis 20 pesewas a day for breakfast, lunch and supper, an amount which is less than a dollar and they obviously do get their monies worth

15 students on a table jumble together for lunch. They are entitled to a ball of kenkey each, but they all have to share 3 fishes meaning five children to one fish. To paint the picture, one fish is about 6 inches long similar to a finger of banana.

The matron of the school, Mrs. Marian Ampiah  who is in the “miracle” working business says it takes grace to feed the children daily.

“It is a very difficult situation considering the prices of groceries rising day in day out in the market. Feeding 328 students takes God’s grace. In fact we do magic in the kitchen”. She said.

The children have learnt to enjoy their meal and trained not to complain because the headmaster Kofi Oti Frimpong shared the budget government allocates with them.

“I have been telling them that, the money that government allocates for them daily is meager so they should eat whatever food we give them. We try to make sure they eat quality food”.

There is no budget for kitchen fuel and transportation to the market to purchase groceries so the school depends on the meagre allowance allocated to them.

Feeding allowance delays

Kofi Oti Frimpong may have succeeded in calming the students but his bone of contention is how the meager allowances delay.

He said food stuff creditors always besiege his office day in day out, to collect their money.

“Sometime my creditors become verbally abusive but I have conscientised them about how we run the school. I told them government delays before giving us the allowance so they should bear with me”.

Last term’s feeding allowance was only released to him last month, yet he still owes 7,100 cedis.

This term’s allowance has not been paid yet so, he still begs his suppliers to be patient with him.

Mr Frimpong is finding alternative means to support the school include an appeal for fund.

Pupils who communicate in sign language, [which was interpreted for me] appealed for government support.

While appealing for an increase in the allowance the headmaster also wants their term’s allowance to be disbursed on time to free him from creditors’ harassment.

Author: Solomon Joojo Cobbinah