Quality of Food has Improved - CHASS Pushes Back on Education Minister's School Feeding Claims

Accra, Ghana - 05 May, 2025 - The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has hit back at Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu's recent criticism of the quality of food served in senior high schools.

The Minister had expressed concerns about the standard of food and hinted at a possible reversal of the government's policy allowing school heads to directly procure food.

CHASS National Secretary, Primus Baro, described the Minister's comments as surprising and disappointing, stating that the organization had not received any formal reports of poor-quality food being served in schools. Instead, feedback from schools suggests that the quality of food has improved since heads began procuring food themselves.

The policy, introduced as part of the National Democratic Congress's (NDC) education manifesto, gives school heads and bursars the authority to purchase food locally, aiming to enhance quality and efficiency in the school feeding program.

Baro emphasized that while CHASS is open to whatever decision the government takes, any return to centralized procurement would need to address the persistent challenges of delays and substandard supplies that plagued the previous system.

Baro also urged the Minister to handle concerns about food quality internally and constructively, rather than through the media, to avoid creating a misleading impression based on isolated incidents.

On funding, Baro acknowledged some delays in recent disbursements but confirmed that funds had since been released, although some arrears remain unpaid.

“We have not received any formal reports suggesting that schools are serving poor-quality food. The feedback we’ve received rather indicates improvement since headteachers began procuring food themselves,” he told Citi News on Monday, May 5, 2025.

“We’re open to whatever decision government takes but expect that, if centralised procurement returns, food is delivered on time and in the right quantities,'' he added.

Source: Lead News Online