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The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called on President-elect John Dramani Mahama to increase the feeding grant allocated to school caterers under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, citing the current GH¢1.20 per student as grossly insufficient to meet nutritional standards.
Speaking on behalf of the association, GNAT’s General Secretary, Thomas Musah, emphasized that the low funding negatively impacts the quality of meals provided to students, which in turn undermines the overall goals of the Free SHS initiative.
“The current arrangement is that you are feeding a child around GH¢1.20, but go to Makola or the Agbogbloshie market and find out what GH¢1.20 can buy,” Musah remarked, underscoring the economic challenges faced by school caterers in providing adequate meals.
He further highlighted the importance of the school feeding programme in ensuring that students receive at least one nutritious meal daily. However, he lamented that the current state of affairs fails to achieve this objective, potentially jeopardizing students’ health and academic performance.
GNAT also proposed the creation of a dedicated funding mechanism for pre-tertiary education to address ongoing challenges in school catering and improve the overall quality of education in Ghana.
As the Mahama administration prepares to take office, the appeal adds to the list of pressing issues requiring immediate attention to enhance the effectiveness of the Free SHS programme.
