Provide children with breakfast before they leave for school

Yamoransa (C/R), March 31, GNA - The Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Henry Kweku Hayfron, has advised parents whose children are enjoying the School Feeding Programme (SFP) to provide them with breakfast before they leave for school.

He said it was unacceptable for parents to deny their children breakfast just because they would be served with food at school, not taking into account how long it might take before the school meal would be served.

Mr Hayfron gave the advice at the launching of the School Implementation Committees of the SFP in the 15 schools benefiting from the Programme in the Municipality, when it was brought to his notice that most of the children on School Feeding Programme were denied food in the morning,.

The MCE pointed out that diet played an important role in the development of the brain and said a child who was not properly fed would not develop a sharp brain for academic work.

The School Implementation Committee forms part of the government's restructuring effort to make the SFP function more efficiently.

The Committee is made up of the Chairman of Parent-Teacher Association as Chairman, the head of the School as Secretary, the local chief or his representative, the Assembly member and the school's Boys and Girls Prefects as members.

Mr Hayfron noted that only few schools were benefiting from the Programme presently and said the government was streamlining the Programme to remove the bottlenecks which hindered its expansion. He gave the assurance that more schools would be taken on boards as soon as the restructuring was completed.

He urged the beneficiary communities to regard the School Feeding Programme as their own initiative and to contribute to make it a success.

He said they must, for instance, provide security to ensure the safety of the food items and other materials used in the preparation of the food.

The MCE urged people with grievances about the food served the children to report them to the Committee for redress and advised caterers to prepare their menu in consultation with the Municipal dietician.

He cautioned against indulging in open confrontations with the caterer and the kitchen staff.

Madam Vivian Etroo, Mfantseman Municipal Director of Education, urged the caterers to ensure that the time of serving the food did not affect children's lessons.

She cautioned caterers against engaging children in chores.

GNA