Providing 3-square meals to 1.4 million students daily is challenging — Education Minister

Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has disclosed that the government is facing challenges providing three square meals daily to a staggering 1.4 million students under its free Senior High School policy.

In an interview on Peace FM, Dr. Adutwum emphasized the scale of the programme, acknowledging the challenges but indicated government's commitment to addressing them promptly.

"If you are feeding 1.4 million students a day, there will definitely be challenges. I will not sit here as a minister of education and say that there are no challenges. The students we are feeding are many," he stated.

He further highlighted the importance of the feeding program within the educational policy, stating that “it was designed to prevent students from losing interest in school due to hunger.

“The program aims to provide breakfast, lunch, and supper to ensure students have the energy to focus on their studies throughout the day,” he stressed.

While conceding that there have been occasional shortages of food, Dr. Adutwum assured that his ministry swiftly reacts to such situations to avoid disruptions in the feeding programme.

He commended the efforts of both the Buffer stock and the Ghana Commodity Exchange in ensuring a steady supply of food items to schools.

"I have been a headmaster before and I am aware of how daunting of a task it is to be a headmaster. However, some headmasters are more proactive than others.

“Some will call me even before their foods run out and the ministry has always been available to restock their stores with food items.

“The ministry does this so that the headmasters can ensure proper supervision of teaching and learning across the schools," he added.