The Upper East Regional Coordinator of the School Feeding Program, Madam Georgina Ayamba, has mounted a spirited defense for caterers in the region who failed to fulfill their part of the contract with the government to provide hot meals to some schools. She stated that some of the caterers have traveled to their hometowns to celebrate Christmas.
Her comments came in response to a press release from the opposition National Democratic Congress’s regional communications bureau, claiming that the government has neglected the school feeding program in the region.
Portions of the NDC’s statement read, “Since the resumption of public basic schools on January 9, 2024, for the second term of the 2024 academic year, caterers contracted under the program have failed to fulfill their contractual obligation, leaving innocent children without the nutritional support they depend on. Our investigations across all districts in the region reveal that this issue is widespread, affecting not only the Upper East Region but also the northern regions of Ghana. Caterers, who are essential stakeholders in this program, attribute their noncompliance to several months of arrears owed to them by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. Shockingly, some caterers reiterated they have not been paid for over three school terms, highlighting the dire financial situation faced by those responsible for preparing meals for school children.”
Responding to the issue on a sister radio station, Dreamz FM, Madam Ayamba said her checks in the schools she visited revealed that caterers were on post, providing hot meals for the schoolchildren. She added that some of the caterers traveled to their hometowns for the Christmas festivities and are yet to return. That may be the reason some schools haven’t had their hots since schools resumed on January 9, 2024.
She said, “As I said, I couldn’t monitor all the schools in all the districts, so now that you are saying this, I will check from here. I think some of the caterers even traveled outside their districts for the Christmas celebration. And you know, when you travel, anything can happen. A caterer, for instance, traveled, was coming, and was involved in an accident. So such a caterer, it is not the wish for that caterer not to be in the school. So maybe there may be similar cases or there be some reasons if only it [absence of caterers in schools] is there because it has not come to my notice. So as you are saying, from here I will go through my zonal coordinators’ reports, and if I get a school that there is no caterer providing meals, I will take action from there.”
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Samuel Adagom|Ghana
