Confusion over school feeding programme

Kumasi, Sept. 15, GNA - The usual joyous and exciting atmosphere that often characterized "My First Day at School" was marred by confusion and near physical confrontation in some schools in the Ashanti Region.

The confusion resulted from the purported termination of contract of caterers employed by the Kufuor Administration, under the School Feeding Programme, to prepare food for school children. Reports indicate that there had been an engagement of new ones to take over from the previous caterers by the district assemblies. On Tuesday morning, school compounds became scenes of nasty confrontation and insults by youth groups in some of the communities opposed to what they saw as an attempt to replace sympathizers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the programme.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) learnt in some schools that management committees and head-teachers were compelled to stop both factions from preparing meals for the kids.

In the Offinso-South Municipality, the caterers who have been doing the job since the programme's inception have secured court injunction restraining the assembly from terminating their contracts. A visit by the GNA to Ejisu Model School, Adako-Jachie M/A Primary and Onwe M/A Primary schools in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, showed that the old caterers were still at post cooking for the pupils. Mr Mohammed Boakye Agyeman, Chief Executive, however, insisted the caterers would not be paid by the government since their contract had been reassigned.
He said a monitoring team set up by the government had uncovered some fraudulent activities in the administration of the programme, hence the directive to those interested in keeping their job to re-apply. Mr Agyeman said since they had refused to re-apply, the government would not take any responsibility for their continued supply of food to pupils in the municipality.
At Ejura, Madam Martha Bruckner, District Chief Executive, told the While some allegedly used poor quality foodstuff and ingredients to prepare the food, others fed the children on quantity less than what was required, she said.