Koforidua, Nov. 12, GNA – Major stakeholders in the School Feeding Programme in the Eastern Region, attended a day’s sensitization workshop on the programme in Koforidua on Thursday.
They participants who included Municipal and District Chief Executive (MDCE’s), Directors of Agriculture, Education, Health and caterers, were sensitized on roles expected of them to make the programme a success in their respective areas.
Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister, urged the stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the programme since it was beneficial to parents, school children and the nation. He told the participants that: “It behoves you to ensure the success of the programme than to illegally amass wealth that is likely to jeopardize your political career in perpetuity.” Mr Ofosu-Ampofo cautioned the MDCE’s against meddling in the activities of the Programme because it could easily be characterised by malfeasance. He observed that the Programme suffered setbacks during its inception because it was hijacked by some MDCE’s and their cohorts. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said: “Some Chief Executives became suppliers and caterers themselves, by doing the purchases, receiving the goods and cooked themselves through their employed Cooks.”
He said the Programme was donor funded through tax payers’ money and it would wrong for officials to misapply or embezzle the funds. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo expressed worry that in the past schools in big towns rather benefited from the Programme to the neglect of deprived schools. He said consequently, government had decided to overhaul the Programme to rid it of malfeasance and corruption and to imitate new guidelines for its operations. 12 Nov. 09
