A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), SEND Ghana, has urged the Akufo-Addo led administration to be adherent to the legitimate calls of school feeding caterers in the country over increment of feeding grants.
According to the organisation, the government must keenly consider the concerns of the caterers due to the interest and welfare of the over three million population of school children nationwide.
Their call follows after Caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme on Monday, May 16, 2022, embarked on indefinite strike action over unpaid arrears and inadequate feeding grants.
The caterers want the government to increase the current daily feeding grant from 97Gp to GH¢3 per child. Accordingly, they have vowed to continue their strike until their demands are addressed.
SEND Ghana in a statement dated Friday, May 20, 2022, mentioned that the school feeding programme holds a greater potential to accelerate Ghana’s progress toward the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals on hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
Therefore, the government’s failure to heed the call of the caterers will Jeopardise the welfare of the Ghanaian school children who are beneficiaries of the programme.
“SEND Ghana has keenly followed recent agitation and threats of strike action by caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme over increment in feeding grant and unpaid arrears”
“SEND GHANA respectfully urge the government to heed the legitimate calls to address the grievances of the caterers in the interest and welfare of the over 3 million schoolchildren who rely on the school feeding to be able to stay in school,” the statement said.
The NGO emphasised that, it has become “critical that government and stakeholders prioritize addressing issues affecting the efficient implementation of the programme while instituting sustainable measures to avert the possible recurrence of the same in the future.”
