Improve student meals or risk losing grants - Haruna Iddrisu warns SHS heads

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has issued a stern informing to Senior High School (SHS) heads nationwide, urging them to amended the prime of meals served to students oregon hazard losing authorities feeding grants.

During a gathering with SHS heads, Iddrisu expressed interest astir the mediocre prime of nutrient being provided, citing complaints from some parents and students.

This informing comes amid expanding reports of substandard nutrient prime and delays successful repast services astatine SHSs.

The Minister emphasised the government’s dissatisfaction with the existent situation, stressing the request for contiguous improvements.

He made it wide that immoderate neglect oregon misuse of the feeding program, designed to enactment students from disadvantaged backgrounds, volition not beryllium tolerated.

“We are not satisfied with the prime of the nutrient that has been supplied, and we are not satisfied adjacent with the timely organisation of the food,” helium stated.

The decentralized feeding system, which allows schoolhouse heads to procure nutrient locally utilizing authorities grants, is present nether review.

Minister Iddrisu indicated that if this argumentation fails to present the intended ratio and quality, it whitethorn beryllium reversed.

“I volition not hesitate to reverse that argumentation decision, adjacent though it was a manifesto pledge, if that is what it takes to guarantee that the close prime and quantity of nutrient are provided,” helium added.

In his code to the recently inaugurated Governing Council of the Ghana Education Service (GES), chaired by Professor Mawutor Avoke, Minister Iddrisu called for interior audits and rigorous monitoring of the feeding program.

He besides encouraged unannounced visits to schoolhouse eating halls to measure repast prime firsthand.

“Director-General, you and Professor Avoke should erstwhile successful a portion marque unannounced visits to schoolhouse eating halls to spot for yourselves the prime of meals students are being fed,” helium urged.

Beyond concerns astir nutrient quality, Haruna Iddrisu highlighted issues of rising indiscipline and insecurity successful schools, citing caller incidents involving weapons connected campuses.

He urged the GES Council to instrumentality proactive measures to support subject and guarantee the information of students.

“You’ve heard the stories of gunshots successful acquisition institutions. You’ve heard the stories of knives and different weapons being utilized connected schoolhouse campuses,” helium emphasised.

“This is not Ghanaian. You person to instrumentality contiguous and proactive steps to guarantee information successful each our acquisition institutions,” helium added.

Minister Iddrisu reaffirmed the government’s committedness to implementing recommendations from the caller National Education Forum, aimed astatine enhancing the ratio and prime of Ghana’s acquisition sector.

“The spot reposed successful america to enactment pre-tertiary acquisition successful this state is not 1 to instrumentality lightly,” Professor Avoke responded.

“As members of the GES Council, we are alert of the enactment ahead, including the implementation of acquisition policies that volition enactment prime outcomes.”

This informing serves arsenic a beardown connection to SHS administrators to prioritise the payment of students.

NAD/MA