Parliament will ensure government attends to needs of caterers
School feeding in the state of emergency and near collapse – GNECC
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has said that the ongoing challenge with the School Feeding Programme is of grave concern and must be resolved as soon as possible.
According to him, the Parliament of Ghana will do all it can to ensure that the government prioritizes the concerns of all stakeholders of the programme particularly the caterers.
According to a citinewsroomonline.com report, the Speaker, made these remarks when he visited the National Buffer Stock Company and the National School Feeding Programme, urging Ghanaians not to politicise the challenges of the feeding programme.
“I decided to spring this surprise to see on the ground how these agencies are struggling to cope with the pressure. I am trying to understand the challenges they are experiencing and how we can support them to do their work.
"It is a national issue that I did not want to be taken along partisan lines. We pass the laws and approve the budget, and therefore we should be on top to assist the government to put their priorities right,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has suggested that the School Feeding Programme is facing dire challenges.
The GNECC indicated that the program is struggling and could collapse if the government fails to address the challenges stakeholders in the programme are facing.
“GNECC has noted the positive results of the school feeding program at the pre-tertiary education level over the years, which the country is proud of; nevertheless, if the government does not take urgent responsibility for rectifying the current situation, the students will continue to suffer. Already, pre-tertiary education is going through some difficulties, and this will exacerbate the situation,” portions of a statement released by the Coalition read.
The Coalition was particularly worried about the failure of the government to pay caterers contracted to work under the program.
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Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin