A former Deputy Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said the School Feeding Programme in Ghana is being classified as a beautiful programme only on paper.
He raised concerns about the government’s focus solely on the number of beneficiaries under the programme, rather than ensuring the quality of food served to them.
Mr Agbenyo’s comments came after the National School Feeding Caterers Association rejected the government’s proposed increment of ¢1.20 from its initial 98 pesewas per meal allocation.
The caterers suggested a ¢3.50 allocation per meal in order to provide nutritious food for pupils in basic schools across the country.
Mr Agbenyo stated, “the school feeding programme again, why are we reducing it to this level? This programme was established in 2005 with the support of the World Food Programme, the Dutch government, and the Ghana government. The initial goal was to improve school enrollment, attendance, and retention by providing one hot, nutritious meal a day to students who lacked access to proper food.”
“The idea behind the programme was also to enhance local agriculture production. On paper, it was a beautiful programme. If it had been successful, everyone would have benefited. However, the implementation of the programme has faced numerous challenges. The Dutch government pulled out of the programme, citing instances of feeding students with rotten tomatoes during an audit,” he said on Accra-based TV3.
The NDC man further questioned the government’s focus on quantity rather than the quality of the meals provided, asking, “Are we just interested in the quantity that we are feeding three million plus pupils? Is that all there is to it? We are feeding them, but what are we feeding them?”
The Ghana School Feeding Programme was initiated by the Government of Ghana in 2005 to provide food to children in public basic schools from kindergarten to primary six.
Its primary objectives are to increase school enrollment, attendance, and retention, reduce short-term hunger and malnutrition, and promote domestic food production.
However, concerns have been raised regarding the implementation and quality of the programme.
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