The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has expressed disappointment over the poor quality of food served to students in various schools across the country.
He criticized headmasters and headmistresses for supervising what he described as substandard meals, warning that the government may revoke their authority to directly procure food for their institutions if the situation does not improve.
The Education Minister issued the warning during the swearing-in ceremony of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council in Accra.
In line with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC’s) manifesto, government policy allows school heads to manage food procurement to ease the burden on central government.
However, Haruna Iddrisu disclosed that a report from the President indicated serious concerns about the quality of food being served.
“It has been brought to the attention of the President and has been brought to my attention that some of your headmasters we are not satisfied with the quality of the food that is being supplied,” he said.
The Minister added that, “I will not hesitate to reverse that policy decision even though it is a manifesto pledge in order to guarantee the quality and quantities of the food products that are supplied.”
“I expect that internal audit in the schools together with national will check the quality of the food, and once in a while may be Director General GES you and Council Chairman you can even have unannounced visits to the schools at the time that they are having their meals in order that you can appreciate the quality of food that is being served” he explained.
Beyond food quality, the Minister also raised concerns about rising indiscipline and insecurity in schools.
He cited troubling incidents involving students wielding knives and other dangerous objects on campuses.
“The safety of people and the safety of teachers, you have heard of the story of gun shot in an educational institution, you have heard the stories of knives and others being used on our school campuses. This is not Ghanaian. You have to take immediate proactive critical steps to guarantee safety in all our educational institutions,” he directed.
Following his remarks, the Minister formally inaugurated the new GES Council, tasking them with tackling these challenges head-on.
Council Chairman, Prof. Mawutor Avoke, assured the Minister of their commitment to restore discipline and improve conditions in schools.
Later, the Minister also inaugurated the Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba.
He urged them to resolve ongoing legal issues that have plagued the institution and pledged support in strengthening its sporting programs.
“You have a number of legal issues in the school. I hope my lord justice the Council Chairman will have a sober reflection on how to resolve the issues out of court and get them resolved,” he said.
The post Education Minister charges GES Council to ensure good quality food for all students first appeared on 3News.
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