In Krachi East Municipality, the future of daily school meals for thousands of pupils hangs in the balance, as cooks and caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme threaten to halt their services over months of unpaid allowances.
For many of these cooks, responsible for preparing meals for public basic schools, working without pay has become the norm. Despite the financial strain, they have continued to serve the children, often dipping into their personal savings or taking out loans just to keep the kitchens running.
Madam Mariama Adisah, one of the affected cooks, shared her frustration: “We have been patient for too long. Some of us borrowed money just to continue cooking for the children because we know many of them depend on the meals. If the money is not paid soon, we will have no option but to stop.”
Repeated appeals and discussions with programme caterers have brought only empty promises, with no funds disbursed to date. Now, the cooks and caterers have issued a final ultimatum, unless the government settles their outstanding allowances, they will withdraw their services, leaving pupils without their much-relied-upon meals.
Caterers, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that they have received no financial support from the government since they joined the programme. The prolonged delays in payments have forced many to operate on borrowed funds, credit purchases, or dwindling personal resources. The situation has become critical, with food suppliers now demanding cash upfront due to unpaid debts, making it increasingly difficult to secure basic ingredients like rice, beans, oil, and fish.
“We have been using our own money because we didn’t want the children to go hungry, but things have become extremely difficult. Traders are refusing to supply on credit because previous debts have not been settled,” one caterer explained. The rising cost of food and transport has only deepened their troubles, leaving many indebted to both traders and financial institutions.
The cooks and caterers warn that, without immediate government intervention, they will have no choice but to suspend their services, an action that threatens to disrupt academic work and jeopardize the welfare of thousands of children who rely on the programme for daily nutrition.
They are urgently appealing to the government, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the National School Feeding Secretariat to release the outstanding funds and save the school feeding programme from collapse in Krachi East.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com