The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison sounded highly incorruptible as she passionately charged caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) to ensure they put the interest of the beneficiary children first. She urged them to prepare meals that are as delicious and nutritive as what they would prepare for their own kids at home.
The Minister cautioned the caterers to know that, they would be judged by God for every pesewa they received and expended in the name of the deprived pupils under the school feeding programme, a comment which attracted endless applauds from chiefs and other patrons.
“If you use better ingredients to prepare better meal for these poor children that you don’t know whether they have parents or not, and treat them like you treat your own biological children, then God will bless you, but if you try to cheat the system for your personal gains at the expense of these vulnerable children…I will not say it with my mouth, but I believe we all can predict what will befall you..â€
Hon. Cynthia Morrison & Dr. Gertrude Quashigah distributing books to pupils at Nyakrom
Mrs. Morrison also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West Constituency gave the caution at the International School Meal Day celebration held at Agona Nyakrom in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region at the weekend. The event was in partnership with development partners of GSFP including World Food Programme, UNICEF, YEDENT, Amplifies and Partnership for Child Development.
She emphatically stated that her administration as part of measures to properly sanitize the system and ensure the sustainability of the school feeding programme would not bother to pay any caterer who would present inflated budget for payment by Government.
Henceforth, the Minister said, every payment file from the districts to the National Secretariat of the School Feeding Programme would be properly scrutinized and investigated before any payment is effected.
Saying, “These measures are not being introduce to cause disaffection between my administration and caterers, but as a means for all of us, good people of Ghana to support the Government to smoothly implement the feeding programme so that more deprived children can have educationâ€.
Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah, Ag Nat. Coordinator, GSFP
Mrs. Morrison who is seeking re-election in 2020 on the ticket of the ruling NPP in the Agona West Constituency lamented that unlike in previous years when donor partners were on board, the Government of Ghana is now the sole financier of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
She therefore reminded the caterers to know that the monies they receive as payment for their services to the GSFP are sourced from poor taxpayers including farmers, petty traders, taxi drivers, hawkers etc, to help children from deprived homes to realise their dreams of becoming future presidents, lawyers, teachers, doctors and journalists among others.
The Gender Minister disclosed that the Government in the first term of the 2018/2019 academic year alone paid caterers of the GSFP a whopping 186 million Ghana cedis.
Mrs. Morrison hinted that her Ministry was developing a new payment system that would register names of all recognized caterers under GSFP to ensure they receive prompt payment for their services.
Recipients of Cynthia Morrison's books celebrate
“There will be no more delay in payment. As soon as the work is done you receive paymentâ€.
However, the MP for Agona West testified about the efficiency of the caterers in her constituency and the kind of quality of meals they prepare for the pupils in beneficiary schools, and thus encouraged them to do more.
The Acting National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, Dr. Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah commended the Chiefs and people of Agona Nyakrom and the MP Cynthia Morrison for the successful hosting of the 2019 International School Meal Day celebration.
She charged the caterers to continue to patronize foods produced by the local farmers to make the school feeding programme more beneficial to the people at the local level.
Dr. Mrs. Quashigah who is a nutrition specialist encouraged the caterers to be nutrition conscious and use more vegetables and other items rich in nutrition for the preparation of the meals.
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, December 18, 2019