Students fed with expired food, frog-like mackerel in secondary schools

In recent times, the school feeding programme, which has been extended to cover students in SHS, has been in the news for the wrong reasons.

SHS Feeding Programme and Challenges

In the wake of the BNI investigations and the sacking and reinstatement of the National Coordinator of the programme, a teacher whose identity was not disclosed has explained that students in second cycle schools are fed with expired food items.

He described the food quality cooked and served students as poor. In an interview monitored by Ghanaeducation.org on Dwaso Nsem hosted by Asempa on Adom FM an Accra based radio station, the teacher revealed that schools only fed students will quality meals if officials from the Buffer Stock Company which supplies the non-perishable foods or government officials were expected on a visit.

“The policy on SHS menu is that all SHS students are entitled to eggs twice in a week but that is not happening in our schools, at least we know several schools that are giving their students poor food.

“Unless officials are coming from Buffer Stock before the students will be given eggs or even fish on their food. Sometimes the rice they eat doesn’t even have brand names so we can’t even tell if they are expired or not. It’s very sad,” he said.

According to him, the food has been budgeted for by the government and so wondered why schools keep giving poor quality foods to the students when they deserve better.

While describing the sad condition in which the School Fee Programme finds its self, he said from the national to the school level, officers do not trust each other. Teachers are required to fill forms on a daily basis for editing purposes regarding feeding in the schools.

He quizzed if the shortage of food in schools or the poor quality is the result of the lack of release of funds or the problem is with those in the schools.

He added that students are fed with frog-like mackerel in tomato source. He furthered that, per the menu from the national level, students are to be fed with eggs at least twice a week however, students hardly get one.

“If you complain right now and you are fished out, you will regret it. They will just transfer you to a place you won’t be able to even speak up,” he lamented.

According to him, the kitchens are understaffed, matrons cannot complain about food quality or quantity. To worsen the plights of schools, he said although supervisors visit schools, they only end up in the headmasters or mistresses office then leaves thereafter.

Speaking on Free SHS, he said though it’s a good initiative, the monitoring and assessment are poor as most classrooms are congested, thus affecting teaching and learning.

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He said he won’t blame the President but the people around him because some have failed to do their job.

“We are in a total mess. I won’t blame the president, but I will blame people around him because they fail to perform their duties. Someone is not doing his or her work. Our education is in a mess,” he cried.

Source: Ghanaeducation.org