Increase In School Feeding Grant Proposed

A proposal for an increase of the feeding grant from 30 Gp to 40 Gp a day has been presented to the government by the School Feeding Secretariat.

The upward review is as a result of general hikes in food and fuel prices on the world market and in the country.

Michael Nsowah, the new National Co-ordinator of the School Feeding Programme, said the proposal, when approved, would bring the secretariat's expenditure on about 480,000 school children across the country close to GH¢1.5 million.

Speaking at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, Mr Nsowah, the immediate past Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), said the programme is operational in 987 public schools in 170 districts nationwide.

He said even though the Netherlands Government is co-funding the programme on a 50:50 basis with Ghana, there is still the need for the country to increase the expediture per child owing to the world food crisis.

That aside, he said, there is a ceiling on the Netherlands' support so an increased budgetary allocation will make up for any shortfalls to ensure a successful implementation of the programme.

He said steps are being taking to implement the programme in all public schools throughout the country so as to maintain and increase school enrollment.

Besides, he said, the programme also aims at reducing poverty and increasing food production in implementing districts as the programme depends solely on locally grown foodstuffs.

School enrollment since the programme began in 2005, he said, has increased from the annual 2.8 per cent in schools not covered by the programme to about 20 per cent in those covered, with corresponding attendance increase of 19 per cent in schools under the programme and 3.2 per cent of those outside it.

The programme has also provided employment to people in the communities in terms of engagements as cooks, caterers and kitchen hands.

"It has also boosted foodstuff production in the various communities by 60 per cent," he said.

Mr Nsowah however, warned that the secretariat would not hesitate to abrogate the contract of anyone engaged on the programme found to be acting contrary to the terms of the contract.

"Those who willingly or unwillingly create problems for the programme will have their contracts taken from them," he said, adding, "You have been given a responsibility, if you cannot deliver, you lose your contract."