GHS1 per child is too small to feed children – School feeding caterers
Food, especially the consumption of breakfast is a very important meal for the day to make you active and for students, this meal is needed to adequately participate in activities in the classroom.
Hence the introduction of the Ghana School Feeding program in 2005 as a social protection intervention in the context of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Pillar III and in response to the first and second Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In a bid to sustain the program and monitor the quality of food for students, National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Program Madam Gertrude Quashigah has paid unannounced visits to check the performance of caterers on the programme.
The Nungua Presby Primary “A”; Nungua LEKMA “5 & 6” Basic Schools; St. Peter’s Anglican “A & B” Primary and Kindergarten and Krowor Central KG were some of the schools she visited.
According to the coordinator she was impressed with what she saw in the schools she visited so far. She also asked some of the students to find out their general assessment of the food being served by the caterers so far.
Her outfit had also lined up activities to empower the caterers nationwide and she assured that the Secretariat would continue to train the caterers and cooks to ensure that food served to the pupils are healthy and nutritious.
The caterers were then advised to strictly go by the GSFP Handy Measures in order to ensure that the children are served with the right quality and quantity of meal.
Metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) and communities have been urged to support the Programme by building kitchens for beneficiary schools.
The caterers, however, raised concern about the feeding grant which currently stands at GH¢1.00 per child. In response, she assured the caterers of the government’s commitment to increase the grant.
Also, the government was commended for releasing funds to settle the first term arrears of the 2021 academic year.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
