GHANA SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME READY FOR EXPANSION

GHANA SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME READY FOR EXPANSION

Madam Olivia Yahaya, Northern Regional Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme has disclosed government’s readiness to expand the programme in September this year to cover more schools in the country.
She regretted that only 125 out of a total number of 1,913 kindergarten and primary schools located in the northern region are benefitting from the Ghana School Feeding Programme which she said will be a thing of the past when the expansion programme becomes operative.
Madam Olivia Yahaya dropped the hint at a day’s sensitization programme held in Tamale for all Caterers and Cooks working under the Ghana School Feeding Programme in the entire northern region.
According to her, one of the major challenges of the Ghana School Feeding Programme since its inception in 2005 is lack of adequate information regarding the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders of the programme and that explained why the nationwide workshop was organized in Tamale.
She said northern region stands to benefit more from the expansion programme when it takes off as government is determined to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition which are characteristic of the impoverished school going age children in rural communities.
This in the estimation of Madam Olivia Yahaya will increase domestic food production, improve the low income levels of poor rural households and as well boost the health and nutritional needs of school children.
Madam Olivia bemoaned that certain inaccuracies comprising poor food quality, lack of supervision, unhygienic cooking environments among others were uncovered by her outfit during its monitoring and supervision exercises.
She therefore warned that her office will not countenance such behavioral changes have the tendency of thwarting government’s effort to make the Programme play its pivotal role as an integral element of meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals.
For his part, Mr. Sam Nasaamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister challenged the service providers to treat the school children like theirs by feeding them on the required balanced diet.
He encouraged them to buy the food commodities direct from the local farmers in communities where they operate to enable them improve their financial capacities.
This, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister noted will encourage the farmers to keep their children in school.
Miss Mary Baisie, Head of Health and Nutrition of the Ghana School Feeding Programme at the headquarters underscored the need for the service providers to improve their hygienic conditions.
She explained that the exercise is a nationwide training programme that seeks to educate the service providers on measures that will improve their services towards the reduction of hunger, malnutrition and other accompanying hazards that are inimical to the GSFP achievements.
Madam Mary implored them to render their services in line with the National Secretariat’s forward march to ensure that all children of school going age at the basic level are fed on balanced diet that will make them grow to become useful citizens.