Ministry reacts to school closures over lack of food
Ministry reacts to school closures over lack of food
Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday admitted that it owes Sh51 billion in arrears to food suppliers to public boarding schools countrywide, something that has affected the smooth running of the institutions. The Citizen yesterday reported that at least five secondary schools in Tabora Region alone have been closed in a move linked to shortage of food as suppliers stopped delivering.
Yesterday, the deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Regional Administration and Local Government (Education), Mr Kassim Majaliwa, told The Citizen that he was yet to received official information on whether the closure of the five schools was caused by lack of food or not, but said he was aware they owed some suppliers.
“I contacted the regional education officer in Tabora and he told me that the schools were closed for midterm break. There is no food shortage and we try as much as we can to pay suppliers. For instance, in February we released about Sh2.2 billion for that purpose,” he said.
But the deputy minister added that the government had reservations about the actual arrears owed to the food suppliers around the country. He said they have ordered the Controller and Auditor General to carry out a special audit to establish the truth before the payment is effected.
“We are worried some of the district council executives might have been diverting funds allocated for buying food to other use. We are investigating to find out the truth as the debt kept growing despite the release of funds by the government.”
The Citizen has learnt that most food suppliers have stopped delivering food to public schools pending payment of the reported Sh51 billion debt. Unconfirmed reports suggested more schools would be closed soon if no intervention is made.
On Wednesday, Tabora regional education officer Juma Mhina told The Citizen that the schools were closed to give teachers ample time to participate in the upcoming celebrations of the National Education Week to be held in the region.
But some Tabora Girls High School students, who spoke to The Citizen, said they were told to go home because there was no food.
“The administration said a communication will be made after the resumption of food supplies,” said one student who asked not to be named because she is not the school’s spokesperson.
Another student at Milambo High School said they started their midterm tests on Monday, but these were terminated after the administration closed the school citing lack of food. The students reported that they were told the school would reopen on an unspecified date in May.
“We heard from last week that our school could be closed on emergency because of food shortage,” he said.
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