Caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) across the country have decided to stop cooking to feed pupils until the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection pays the arreas due them as promised.
According to them, they will not continue to make the mistake of going for loans to enable them cook meals as they’ve done over the months, since the government has not demonstrated good faith.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection assured the caterers that government will pay their arrears by the end of May 2017.
The assurance came after the picketing by the caterers at the Ministry to demand the payment of their arrears.
The Ministry of Finance had processed the release of the arrears for 2016 and 2017 but the money is yet to hit the caterers’ accounts. The current government reportedly inherited arrears of GH¢114 million, covering 75 cooking days, from the previous administration.
Speaking to Kasapa FM‘s Akwasi Nsiah on Wednesday May 31, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana School Feeding Programme Maame Yaa Doudua Apeakorang stated that they are hugely disappointed in the sector minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba as they had confidence in her to help their course.
“We saw hope in Madam Otiko when she was appointed as minister, but the turn of events is really disappointing, we’re cash strapped and we need money to take care of our families and pay other debt we owe banks and other financial institutions. At the moment we have no money to use to cook for the school kids, we can’t cater for the pupils when we ourselves are not happy. We just can’t go on cooking merely because we’ve been promised to be paid.”
Pupils of public primary schools who are beneficiaries of the School Feeding Program will in the following days, will have to depend on their parents for food during school hours following the boycott of caterers of the Program over non-payment of their contract sum.
The caterers numbering over 5,400 nationwide are demanding for their monies having worked for 148 days.
