National School Feeding Caterers Association has rejected a proposed 20 pesewas increment on the current GH¢1 allocation per meal for school pupils under the School Feeding Programme.
They are preparing to hit the street in a demonstration on Wednesday, June 7, if the matters are not resolved.
Addressing the challenges at the weekly meet-the-press serious organised by the Ministry of Information on Sunday, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu said the ministry has proposed a GH¢1.20 cost per meal effective 2023.
“In 2023, the cost per meal, per child, per day has currently been proposed as GH¢1.20, and we’re still in talks with the Ministry of Finance to see how best we can help, if it can be reviewed, we’ll let you know.
“As at April 2023, the ministry in collaboration with Ministry of Finance has paid the first and second term arrears of 2022 academic year, I want to give the assurance here that, next week caterers’ arrears will be paid.
“We have done all the validation, we have done the auditing and I want to ensure that the auditing and due diligence is done so next week we’re paying,” she assured.
However, the National Secretary of the School Feeding Caterers’ Association Dorothy Ofori Sarpong has argued that the amount is woefully inadequate to feed the children.
“We don’t understand why the government is saying that it cannot pay more than GH¢1.20 because it is a grant by the World Bank, so I think there is a figure for each child so why is it difficult for them?
“It’s a grant so if that grant keeps coming then I don’t see why you cannot afford paying GH¢2 for each child, this GH¢1.20 cannot provide any nutritious food for them and there is a fund, they cannot tell us there are no funds.
“World Bank Country Director is saying that there is a grant for it, unless they tell us that it is not true,” she lamented.
