Some aggrieved caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme have sent a strong message to President Nana Akufo-Addo to reconsider government’s Feeding Grant.
According to them, GH¢1.00 is not enough to purchase food items on the market to prepare quality meals for children.
The Chairperson for the Association, Juliana Cudjo, revealed this on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Wednesday.
“We urge the government to pay attention to the feeding grant because what we get is not significant. GH¢1.00 is not enough to prepare food for one person and even that one, they deduct GH¢0.03 and now we are left with only GH 0.97 to prepare food for one child.
“How is this possible? Things are very expensive in the market and so how do you expect us to cook food with GH 0.97. It affects the quality of food for the children,” a visibly angry Chairperson lamented.
According to her, though they appreciate the government for the introduction of the Programme and the great impact it is making in the lives of Ghanaian children in the deprived schools, it is becoming a problem.
Auntie Julie said despite the challenges they go through to prepare food, some of them are still managing to cook for the schoolchildren and therefore want the President to intervene immediately.
The government owes the school feeding caterers for the 1st term of the 2020/2021 academic year and the Minister, according to the caterers, had since not acted in good faith to ensure that the money is paid to them.
However, Edmund Gyebi, spokesperson for the Programme on the same show appealed to the caterers to calm down and exercise restraint, noting that everything is being done towards the upward adjustment of the feeding grant.
He, therefore, assured the caterers and Ghanaians in general that the government is genuinely committed to the sustainability of the Programme.
