THE CUSTODIAN has gathered that a total number of six hundred and forty (640) public and private Junior High Schools in the northern region have begun enjoying the daily free hot meal per student facilitated by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Coordinator of the Ghana National School Feeding Programme for the northern region, Madam Felicia Tetteh on Monday 24 August visited some of the schools in the Sagnarigu municipality and other parts of the region to monitor the implementation of the policy.
The Regional Coordinator who doubles as the Member of Parliament hopeful for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Sagnarigu constituency seized the opportunity to interact with some of the students who enjoyed their meal on day one of the exercise.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced earlier this month that government was going to provide all final year Junior High School students one hot meal daily.
The President during his 15th nationwide broadcast instructed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to put in plans to prepare one hot meal for each and every final year Junior High School student and staff across the country from Monday 24 August, 2020.
The intervention is a measure taken by government to mitigate the economic hardship and impact on Ghanaians as a result the coronavirus pandemic.
President Akufo-Addo announced the initiative will continue for about a month.
Madam Felicia Tetteh told THE CUSTODIAN that, the President is committed to provide the necessary support and conditions that are convenient for the students to pass their exams.
She noted that the school feeding programme under the NPP administration will not renege on its mandate to provide balance diet and nutritious meals for the children.
The Sagnarigu NPP Parliamentary Candidate urged the children to take their studies seriously at this crucial moment of the global crisis, reminding them of the free senior high school education they will enjoy when they are able to successfully pass the weeklong examination.
She also commended officers of the school feeding programme but added that the government will not countenance any indiscipline that would thwart its efforts.
Meanwhile, a total of 30, 114 final year students in the northern region are expected to benefit from the free daily hot meal.
The number consist of 27, 962 children in the public schools and 2, 152 children in private schools across the 16 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the region.
The Tamale metropolis has the highest student population of 5, 417 across 113 public and private schools in the regional capital.
The Nanton district, however, has 14 public schools with 702 BECE candidates and no single private school to enjoy the support.
The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) will organize this year’s BECE exams from 14 to 18 September 2020. About 584,000 JHS students in the country are currently preparing to the write the exams.
