THE pilot phase of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) began in 2005 to provide children in public primary schools and kindergartens in the poorest areas with one nutritious meal per day, using locally grown foodstuffs.
Other goals of the programme include making a contribution to poverty reduction and food security in Ghana.
Statistics, so far, indicate that the GSFP has become an effective strategy for increasing enrolment, attendance, retention and even performance. The programme also has the potential to improve the local economy by relying on farmers to supply about 80 per cent of the foodstuffs for the meals.
In quantitative terms, the programme has helped to raise school enrolment significantly. Enrolment levels in the schools show that there is a high and increasing public interest in the programme, which has the potential to impact positively on the food security situation and educational landscape in the country.
It has come as no suprise to the Daily Graphic that some schoolchildren have lauded the GSFP and called on the government to maintain and extend it to all public schools.
If there is any sense in the popular axiom, “Who feels it knows it”, then it will be counter-productive to dismiss the call by the pupils.
Although one can describe the children as minors who are not in the least versed in the dynamics of government policies and policy implementation, their sentiments clearly represent a true and sincere assessment of the impact of the GSFP.
During the initial stages, the government had to endure some scathing criticisms for introducing the programme and, indeed, some critics went to the extent of labelling it as one of the government’s propaganda tools that would not stand the test of time.
Perhaps these critics will be the first to admit that the policy, indeed, has some very positive sides that far outweigh any weaknesses.
It is striking to note that even some more developed countries than Ghana had, at a point in time, instituted school feeding programmes to shore up school enrolment levels and improve the nutrition of pupils.
School feeding programmes, particularly those in developing countries, have received tremendous support from the World Food Programme (WFP) and it is estimated that in 2003 the WFP fed more than 15 million children in schools in 69 countries.
Clearly, if the enrolment trends are anything to go by, then one can only encourage the government to heed the call of the schoolchildren and extend the programme to all public schools.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, wishes to advocate a thorough review of the programme in order to address any weaknesses that threaten to erode its gains.
The WFP’s strategy has been to identify areas where enrolment ratios are lowest and where school feeding will have the greatest impact.
It is the belief of the DAILY GRAPHIC that a similar strategy must be adopted to ensure that areas with the lowest enrolment ratios in the country are the immediate beneficiaries of the programme, even as the government works towards the extension of the programme to all public schools.
We also wish to caution about the quality of food that is served to pupils in order to ensure that they don’t end up developing health problems after eating food provided under the programme. This is why we call for swift action against those who attempt to undermine the integrity of the programme by serving schoolchildren with unwholesome meals.
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