EduWatch Urges Government to Increase Basic School Feeding Grant to GH¢3

At the 2023 Education Financing Conference held at the University of Ghana’s West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), Kofi Asare, emphasized the urgent need for the Ministry of Education to augment the current feeding grant for basic school pupils. Asare highlighted that the existing allocation of GH¢1.2 per meal is insufficient to ensure the provision of adequately nutritious meals for the pupils and should therefore be raised.

Advocating for a significant hike in the allocation, Asare proposed that the government consider elevating the per meal grant to GH¢3. This, he stressed, would help mitigate the adverse impact of escalating food inflation. Furthermore, Asare urged for increased transparency within the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP), emphasizing the necessity of fully decentralizing its management to local authorities while bolstering transparency efforts.

In addition to the call for increased funding in the feeding program, EduWatch proposed a substantial allocation of no less than 60% of the 2024 Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) budget towards the enhancement of educational infrastructure, particularly focusing on basic education.

Asare also underscored the importance of accountability and transparency in the utilization of the Capitation Grant at both district and school levels. He emphasized the critical need for strict alignment of the Capitation Grant with School Performance Improvement Plans to ensure effective utilization that enhances learning outcomes at the school level.

EduWatch’s recommendations center around not only increasing financial support for essential programs but also on fostering accountability, transparency, and efficiency within the educational sector to achieve better outcomes for Ghanaian students.