Let’s revamp school feeding programme
One of the initiatives that have not been spared the economic challenges of recent times is the school feeding programme.
The programme has been rocked by many difficulties, including demonstrations by the caterers, the use of sub-standard food items and delayed payment by the authorities.
There have been occasions when some of the caterers decided not to cook for the pupils again because their investments are locked up with the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
It is not a secret that some state institutions are unable to meet their statutory obligations because of lack of funds following inadequate budgetary allocations from the government.
Whatever the challenges, the government has introduced some social intervention policies to reduce pressure on the poor and the excluded in getting access to the basic necessities of life.
In the area of education, the government has introduced the Capitation Grant, the GSFP, the distribution of free school uniforms, textbooks and exercise books to neutralise any excuse by parents that they do not have the means to educate their children.
It is unfortunate that as a country we could not sustain the free bus ride for schoolchildren.
The only problem is that all these policies are not universal in nature, as some of them do not embrace all schoolchildren.
When the GSFP started, certain schools in urban settings, including the cities, were beneficiaries, to the disadvantage of the rural poor.
The programme was introduced by the government of Ghana, with support from the Dutch government, on a pilot basis in 2005 to help contribute to reducing poverty and enhancing food security in the country,
Despite the challenges, it has made some gains, albeit slowly, judging by the plan at the beginning of the initiative, and we think the resources must be found to revamp it.
The National Co-ordinator of the GSFP, Mr Seidu Adamu, has said that by 2013 the programme would be expanded to cover all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, with total beneficiary pupils of 1.7 million, which represents 38.53 per cent of the basic school population.
From all indications, and judging by the momentum of the process so far, we should have done better, but our failings cannot be said to be for want of trying.
We are happy, however, that the government has released GH¢40 million to the GSFP as part payment of the GH¢126 million arrears owed the caterers for services rendered for 145 days.
The GSFP still owes the caterers quite a huge amount of money and it is our expectation that the government will keep to its plan to settle the arrears in order to sustain the objectives for which the programme was introduced.
Nobody disputes the usefulness of the programme, but its present funding arrangement is not the best.
The programme was not only to feed schoolchildren but also to provide a ready market for local farmers and it is our hope that if local producers are encouraged to supply the GSFP and payments are made regularly to the caterers, basic school enrolment and retention will be enhanced considerably.
