Northern Regional Secretariat of the Ghana School Feeding Programme has described as a false a report that some schoolchildren are fed with unhealthy diet at some two villages in the East Gonja district.
A media report which surfaced this week claimed that caterers in Sisipe and Matilipo primary schools near Salaga were cooking undernourished boiled maize for pupils on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The report which cited an unnamed reporter said children were being forced out from classrooms due to the situation. It also said chiefs and members of the communities were and are demanding removal of the catering service provider.
However, the regional coordinator Madam Felicia Tettey strongly denied entirely the report and said it should be rubbished.
According to her, comprehensive investigations into the report have found it to be absolute baseless fabrication.
Mrs Tettey explained that menu provided by caterers varied under the Programme and varied from the districts. She went on to say that in this particular case, although boiled yam was an acceptable meal for pupils in the East Gonja district, the meal referred to in the report didn’t come from her caterers.
“Per our investigation, the head master, the DCE, the caterer and the community have denied”, she said, explaining “the caterer, Madam Saani Suabra said she has never cooked anything like that in the school. The headmaster also said never has there been a case that the caterer has cooked only maize for the pupil, so they don’t know where the image is coming from. I don’t know why the headmaster would lie, I don’t know why the community would lie. The headmaster will not shield the caterer for anything”.
Madam Felicia said the programme in the region was now taking new positive shape after turbulent take off last year.
She praised zonal coordinators who have become more active intensifying their monitoring and supervision role adding that as part of ongoing process to restructure the programme in the region, caterers have been trained on nutrition, kitchen safety and personal hygiene.
“The School Feeding is taking a shape in the Northern region, because we are committed in giving the people the best that we can and my zonal coordinators are always in the field to ensure that caterers give the pupil one hot nutritious meal as established by the Ghana School Feeding.
“We meet with caterers on monthly basis, they tell us their concerns. We train them especially on diet meal”, Felicia Tetteh, a successful restaurateur responded.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Eliasu Tanko
