KALE WARNS ACTORS IN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (PAGE 15, POLITICS)

THE Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Caesar Kale, has cautioned actors in the implementation of the Ghana National School Feeding Programme not to misconduct themselves.
He said the government would not hesitate to take drastic action against any of such actors, who include caterers, school authorities and district assembly officials.
Addressing a sensitisation workshop on the GNSFP in Wa, he admitted that the concept was no doubt a good one that could contribute meaningfully towards facilitating education for all at the basic school level.
Mr Kale said the introduction of the programme had contributed towards improved school attendance and better nutrition for schoolchildren.
He expressed concern about the low number of beneficiary schools in the region as compared to other areas of the country.
Mr Kale therefore made a special appeal for the current trend to be resolved since an increase in the number of beneficiary schools in the region would definitely enhance the implementation of the programme.
“Additionally we need to look at issues relating to the nutritional content of the food that is served, the environment and the linkages to local productivity; I will therefore call for collaboration and team work between caterers, schools, school authorities the district assembly, among other actors, in the implementation process,” he said.
The Deputy Regional Minister urged the participants to identify the linkages and work towards enhancing them so that at the end of the day “we would achieve better nutrition, quality education and increased agricultural productions which are all an integral part of the programme.
Mr Kale gave the assurance that the government would expand the GNSFP to cover many more schools and deal with all the shortcomings as well.
The executive director of the GNSFP, Alhaji Suleimana Abdulrahman, said so far 1,696 public schools with 656,000 students are benefiting from the programme in all the 170 districts of the country.
He said the programme would be scaled up to one million beneficiaries next year, and that management had resolved to find a sustainable mode of funding for the programme so that it would continue when the sponsors pull out.
He gave the assurance that the programme would not be politicised, adding “ we are going to be non-political as we will not mix politics with administration”.