The Ghana School feeding programme has released an amount of GHc21million as it settles part of the debt owed caterers under the school feeding project.
The Public Relations Officer for Programme, Siba Alfa, also said efforts are being made to make another payment next week, to cover an additional sixteen days of the remaining hundred days’ arrears.
“Last week Thursday and Friday, we released seven days of feeding grant to the caterers. The seven days represents part of payment for the first term of 2017/2017 academic year, and we are hoping to make another payment next week Friday, which will be for 16 days, but afterward, we will request for additional funds to be able to clear all the arrears that we owe the caterers,“ he said.
In all, the programme has advanced more than 100 days of feeding grants to caterers so far in 2017, which amounts to GHc 140 million.
Mr Alfa said a request has been made to the Minister of Finance for funds to clear all the arrears.
Earlier this year, caterers under the school feeding protested against the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection, demanding the payment of their arrears.
Some of the caterers said they had not been paid for more than 8 months.
At the time, the National School Feeding Secretariat said it would pay the debt by the end of May.
The Ghana School Feeding Programme has been ongoing since 2005, with the aim to provide pupils in public basic schools with one hot nutritious meal every day.
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