GIVE US GOOD RATES—-INSTITUTIONAL SUPPLIERS APPEAL TO PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO.
Steven Asare, National President, National Association of INSTITUTIONAL SUPPLIERS
The National Association of Institutional Suppliers, a group which previously supplied food and other items to senior secondary schools is appealing to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consider them more in the supply chain in the free SHS policy implementation.
According to the group, they were actively involved in seeing to the provision of food and other materials for senor high schools in the country before the free SHS was introduced but have so far been sidelined with few members getting some paltry contracts.
Addressing a press conference in Kumasi Wednesday morning, National President of the group, Mr Steven Asare said the members have been impoverished for the past 5 years since their services are scarcely used.
He noted that those who have been fortunate to get onto the supply chain in some schools have had to borrow to shore up the rate given for the supplies because those in charge give them low rates.
“Before the advent of free SHS many of our members and their respective employees were depending on the supply of house jerseys, exercise books and school clothes for their living”, the President tearfully disclosed.
ISSUES:
Mr Asare said those fortunate to be on the supply chain get their payments or reimbursements late.
This, he noted had been a bother with some members resorting to taking bank loans to continue their supply and becoming debt riddled.
He said items such as Physical Education kits and exercise books which they previously supplied have been taken away from them.
Mr Asare said recently they realised some members have had their names deleted from the list of suppliers on the FREE Education system.
“The ongoing issues with the free SHS despite it being a good policy is collapsing our businesses which we have nurtured may years before this government came into existence in 2016”, the President posited.
APPEAL:
Making a passionate appeal, Mr Asare pleaded that members are given a chance to negotiate on prices of their products and services rather than government determining same for them.
He asked that the process be decentralised so as to make those supplying to their jurisdictions having to deal with their respect district directors or the Free SHS education directorate.
The group asked that rates given them be commensurate to current living standards and added that reviews should be done based on what happens in subsequent years.
Since July 2021, the group noted that food suppliers have not been paid with school uniform arrears outstanding from June to date.
“We appeal to our President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to intervene and help to resolve all our issues such as delay in payment, pricing and others for us to have a smooth operation in a policy which is forward looking”, the President stated.
