The Public Relations Officer for the School Feeding Secretariat, Alfa Siba has disclosed that the government is collaborating with the Secretariat to ensure that the demands of caterers of the School Feeding Programme are met to enable their return to cook for pupils across the country.
Mr. Siba bemoaned the strike action by the caterers and pleaded with them to return to the various beneficiary schools while it work to resolve and honour their demands.
He disclosed that the government in its 2023 budget statement, approved an upward adjustment of the grant per child pending disbursement in accordance with the caterers’ demand for a raise in the amount the government is currently spending to feed students per day.
Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Mr. Siba explained that the “Minister of Finance indicated in this year’s budget that the government has approved an upward adjustment of the grant. The caterers want the current grant of 97 pesewas per child be increased to GH¢3.50, and we are looking at it, and I am sure in the coming days, we will hear something about the increment that will be mutually acceptable to all of us.”
And on the caterers’ biggest demand of the government paying all arrears owed them, Mr. Siba “acknowledged that the arrears have been delayed, but it is due to the economic situation that we find ourselves in, and we have made requests long ago and have been given strong assurances by the government that it is seriously mobilising the funds to clear the arrears soon.”
Caterers under the Programme on Wednesday, April 26 withdrew their services across the country following the government’s failure to pay them their arrears and increase the amount per child.
