Bolgatanga, July 2, GNA – Municipal and District Directors of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Upper East Region say they are not satisfied with the quality and quantity of meals served to pupils in basic schools under the School Feeding Programme across the Region.
They said the meals were of poor quality without the relevant nutrients required to address the nutritional needs of pupils.
The Directors, including stakeholders at the GES across the Region, said even though they were concerned about the poor quality of food served to the pupils, they could not complain for fear of victimisation.
According to them, the School Feeding Programme was managed by executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which made it difficult for authorities in the various schools on the programme to express concerns about the quality of meals.
The Directors and stakeholders individually shared their experiences and registered their displeasure during open discussions at a Regional stakeholder engagement on the roll-out of nutrition intervention for school-aged children and adolescents, held in Bolgatanga.
The programme brought together Regional, Municipal and District Directors of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) including traditional authorities and the media.
Mr Edward Azure, the Upper East Regional Director of the GES in a speech read on his behalf, said nutrition was one of the bedrocks for survival.
He said there was growing recognition that good health and nutrition significantly contributed to the educational achievement, growth and development of children both in school and out of school.
Dr Emmanuel Kofi Dzotsi, the Regional Director of the GHS, called for improvement in the School Feeding Programme to help boost the nutritional needs of pupils and said studies had shown that children of school going age could benefit greatly from nutrition and health interventions implemented in their schools.
“This is because, under the tutelage and supervision of their teachers, learners are more likely to practice recommended behaviours that promote good health and become champions for such in their schools and communities,” he said.
The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Bonaba Baba Salifu Lemyaarum, emphasized the importance of the stakeholder engagement and said issues of nutrition were significant for the well-being of all humans.
He noted that it was a welcome news that the engagement was targeted at children and urged other traditional leaders to ensure that the roll-out of nutrition intervention for school-aged children and adolescents was successful.
He noted that in spite of the challenges in the education sector, it was the responsibility of pupils to stay in school and learn, saying, stakeholders, especially parents must ensure their children stayed in school.
GNA