The National Secretariat of the Ghana School Feeding Programme has expressed commitment to improving the overall monitoring, food quality and feeding this year.
A statement from the Secretariat said: “We acknowledge that challenges such as delay in caterer payments and quality of food have affected the smooth implementation of the programme’’
It expressed concern about the suspension of school feeding in Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipal Assembly in Ashanti Region and Cocao Town in the Western Region and urged all to remain calm.
“We urge all involved to stay calm and allow caterers to cook for the children. The Ministry is in touch with relevant authorities for amicable solution of the problems.
“Government in the meantime is in discussions to expand the programme to cover many more schools in deprived communities in the nearest future. Let us all join hands and allow peace to prevail for the programme to achieve its main goal of poverty alleviation,” the statement said.
The statement said the Ghana School Feeding Programme and its partners are marking the second edition of the Africa Day for School Feeding today, on the theme: “Home Grown School Feeding: Investment in Youth and Children for Harnessing the Demographic Dividend.”
The Day was instituted by African heads of state during the AU Summit held in January 2016, in recognition of the tremendous impact of home-grown school feeding on improving enrolment, retention and performance of children in school, as well as in boosting incomes and livelihoods of local communities.
The School Feeding programme is the world’s most widespread safety-net programme with more than 370 million children assisted through interventions in 131 countries.
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Source: GNA