Addressing Parliament, the Kumawu MP criticised the current daily feeding rate of GH¢1.80 per inmate, describing it as woefully inadequate and inconsistent with basic human rights.

“Prisoners are entirely dependent on the state for their nutrition and welfare,” Mr Anim stated. “This rate cannot provide even a basic, nutritious meal in today’s economic climate.”

He pointed out that under the Ghana School Feeding Programme, schoolchildren receive GH¢2.00 per day—more than what is allocated to prisoners, who remain in state custody 24/7.

Citing findings from a recent fact-finding mission to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, Mr Anim revealed disturbing conditions including overcrowding exceeding 400%, limited access to clean water, and widespread malnutrition.

“Some inmates are serving long sentences without adequate nourishment, relying on charity and family support to survive,” he said.

He called for an urgent review of the feeding rate, the inclusion of a dedicated prison infrastructure budget in the mid-year fiscal review, and broad prison reforms.

“We cannot claim to be a just and democratic nation if we continue to treat the most vulnerable among us in such a manner,” he added.

Source: Ernest Arhinful 

In a statement, PRINCOF explained that financial constraints have made it impossible to continue providing three meals daily.

While we acknowledge the importance of adequate nutrition to trainee welfare and academic performance, we must also ensure that feeding arrangements are realistic and within the financial capacity of our institutions, the statement said.

PRINCOF expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) for their continued partnership and acknowledged the government’s commitment to the GH¢400 monthly feeding grant allocated to each trainee.

However, PRINCOF explained that out of the GH¢400 allocation, GH¢196 — equivalent to GH¢8.00 per day — is designated for meals, based on an agreement between PRINCOF and TTAG.

After extensive consultations across all 47 public Colleges of Education, PRINCOF has concluded that it is no longer viable to continue providing three meals a day on the current GH¢8.00 daily allocation, the statement noted.

PRINCOF emphasized that the decision was not made lightly but was necessary to safeguard essential services and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Colleges of Education.

It reiterated its commitment to working collaboratively with TTAG, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to trainee welfare challenges.

Read the full statement below:

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He says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been vindicated, and that Ghanaians were misled by promises made by President John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking in an interview on JoyPrime on Wednesday, May 28, Rev. Fordjour recounted the earlier structure of food supply under the NPP government.
“We were supplying about 70% of the food, and then 30% was directly paid to the schools to buy perishables,” he explained.

According to him, the NDC promised to change this completely.
“President Mahama on many occasions stood on platforms and said, ‘We are going to send all the money directly to the headmasters so they can go to the markets and buy goat meat and the rest,’ and the students were happy,” he said.

While he acknowledged the idea sounded good, Rev. Fordjour questioned its feasibility.
“I personally thought it was a brilliant idea if they were able to implement it. But again, I came back to predict that they will not be able to do it. And I said to Ghanaians boldly and clearly that I am not predicting doom, but President Mahama cannot fulfil that. And whoever becomes the Minister for Education will not be able to fulfil that promise.”

He added,
“Clearly, I have been vindicated. We’ve been scammed.”

Rev. Fordjour accused the government of failing to deliver on its word.
“They came in, and the only thing they did in that regard was to send remittances to the schools directly for just two weeks. For all these months of being in power for over five months, the only direct remittance they’ve sent to the schools is to take care of them for only two weeks.”

He also revealed that the government later abandoned its own approach.
“They wrote a letter signed by the Director-General of the GES and said they were going back on their words. Now the Ministry of Education is going to centralise it. They will be supplying the food to them, and now they are only going to allow them to buy only five items.”

Rev. Fordjour argued that this new system is even worse than what the NPP had in place.
“They said they were going to do better, but they are even doing worse than the weakness we had.”

He then warned against the rush to criticise when in opposition.
“Sometimes when you are in opposition, you are so quick in criticising certain implementations, but when you get there and the reality hits you, you begin to fumble. So we have been vindicated. We even ran Free SHS better than the NDC is doing it now.”

Source: Clara Seshie

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The donation was made by the founder of the No Child Left Behind Foundation and US-based philanthropist, Joshua Bawa Nyambika.

The donation was officially received by a delegation comprising the District Education Director, the Headmaster, an Assembly Member, and a representative of the students.

Speaking at the brief ceremony to hand over the funds, the District Education Director expressed immense gratitude on behalf of the school and the community.

The director commended Mr. Nyambika for his thoughtfulness and assured him that the funds would be judiciously used to address the intended purpose, which is to support the feeding of the students during these challenging times.

“This donation is not just about money; it is a demonstration of care and commitment to the future of our children,” the director stated. “We are profoundly grateful to Mr. Nyambika for stepping in at such a critical time. Rest assured, the funds will be utilized effectively to ensure the students’ welfare is prioritized,” he stated.

The headmaster also lauded the timely intervention, describing it as a lifeline for the school. According to him, the school has been grappling with significant challenges in feeding the students due to financial constraints, and the donation has come as a great relief.

A student representative, speaking on behalf of the student body, expressed heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Nyambika for his benevolence.

“This gesture means a lot to us as students. It is comforting to know that someone out there cares about our well-being and education. We pray for blessings upon Mr. Nyambika,” the student said.

Interestingly, this marks the second time Mr. Nyambika has extended his philanthropic efforts to his hometown district.

His kind act has left a positive impression on the people of Kpandai, serving as a beacon of hope for many.

The Assembly Member described Mr. Nyambika’s donation as an example of how individuals in the diaspora can contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities back home.

Mr. Nyambika’s benevolent act has inspired calls for other well-meaning individuals and organizations to follow suit and support education and other developmental projects in Kpandai and beyond.

His donation highlights the significant role that philanthropy can play in addressing local challenges and fostering community growth.

As the students benefit from this generous support, it is hoped that such acts of kindness will continue to inspire others to invest in the future of the younger generation.

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According to the NCPTAs, nothing is currently working in the schools after they reopened on Friday, January 3, 2025.

“Nothing is working in the schools. All the assurances from (the previous) government that they would support feeding, provide funds for feeding, and address other issues are not being met,” said Raphael Kofi Gapson, General Secretary of the NCPTAs, in an interview with the Daily Graphic on Thursday, January 10.

Mr. Gapson stated that the association had always believed that schools were not fully prepared to reopen on January 3, 2025, due to constraints with food, funding, and other logistics.

He pointed out that schools lacked food for boarders and did not have the necessary funding to support full operations.

He criticized the previous government for only offering lip service to the free SHS policy, as the challenges continued to escalate and appeared to be getting out of hand.

“You cannot say you are providing feeding or funding support to the schools and then, if they are entitled to 100 grams of food a day to run the school, you send them only 20 or 30 grams a day, and expect the schools to operate perfectly,” Mr. Gapson said.

He further questioned, “How do they run the schools with 30 grams a day when their budget for that day is 100 grams?”

The associations, he said, were ready to support the running of the SHSs and emphasized that in some schools, they were paying additional cooks not employed by the government to cater to the large number of students.

Additionally, he mentioned that they were also paying for security personnel in schools that lacked adequate security. He stated that once the government identified areas where the NCPTAs could support, they would readily offer that assistance.

“We are currently using our PTA funds, which have become the proverbial Akobalm, as a special-purpose vehicle for providing feeding support, extra classes, security and safety in schools, recruitment of kitchen staff, utilities, sports, culture, quizzes, debates, examinations, and various infrastructure projects and logistics,” he explained.

As the January 3, 2025, reopening date for SHSs approached, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) urged the Ghana Education Service to postpone the reopening until the government settled the outstanding debt for food and operations.

In a statement issued on December 31, 2024, the school heads noted that the government had failed to respond to three appeals since August 2024, regarding payment of arrears for perishables, recurrent fees, and food transportation costs.

The National Secretary of CHASS, Baro Primus, therefore, instructed all regional branches to notify parents of the potential delay through parent associations.

The school heads warned that members who defied the directive would face sanctions for betraying their collective stance.

Mr. Gapson explained that the NCPTAs and other education stakeholders had tried to support schools in various ways.

He stated that when the association raised issues, CHASS had often become a political tool for the government to suppress information.

He alleged that CHASS had stood by the government even when it was clear that things were not being handled properly.

“Finally, CHASS came out with the right verdict by saying that, over two and a half years, it had issues with the government’s lackadaisical attitude toward addressing feeding and funding challenges at the secondary level,” Mr. Gapson said.

He added that these issues had been swept under the carpet, and now heads of schools were calling on the new government to address them.

“We should have closed down the schools and told the students to go back home so that we could take our time, fix the mess, and ensure that the children return to school in a more conducive and serene atmosphere for effective and smooth teaching and learning.”

“The schools are public schools, and they should operate in an open school climate, not a closed one,” he emphasized, noting that, according to his information, nothing was working in the schools.

“We prefer our students to be home and in our custody, so they can be well-fed and safe,” the General Secretary of the NCPTAs added.

He stressed the need for key stakeholders to meet and find solutions to address the crisis.

Even at the basic school level, he mentioned, the capitation grant had been in arrears for over two and a half years.

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According to the students, they used to be served quality meals in the past, however, things have changed now as they sometimes do not get served any meals during the weekends.

Speaking in an interview with Class FM’s Nana Tawiah, some of the students explained their current plight:

“Our dining situation is bad. In the mornings, we are served tea, for lunch ‘egbeme’ and for supper, rice water.  You can see the rice under the water, no sugar, so you have to take your own sugar.”

“The tea is so light, if it pours in your uniform, you can use it to wash the uniform. The dining situation is very poor, so we’re appealing to government to come to our aid,” a female student explained.

Another female student said: “We haven’t been served any good food since last month. The day, we’ll get some solid food, will be days they serve Kenkey, no fish, even if they add fish, the stew is more than water, one mackerel for two tables or 20 people. Even if it’s once in a while. The food is bad, and it’s insufficient.”

“We’re served only liquid food thrice a day, they must at least serve solids.”

Another female student indicated that due to the poor quality of meals served, the students fall sick frequently and have to go home.

“Sometimes, they give us tea in the morning, in the afternoon too when you’re expecting solid food, you get there and they ask you to go for your cups, they serve you tea again. In the evening too, you get there and they serve you oblayo or rice water, the rice water too, you can pour the water away and add pepper to it to eat. The situation is bad. 

“Mando Senior High Technical, we’re pleading with government and the authorities, in the name of God to help our school. We’re suffering. There are some among us who do not have money, since morning they have been sitting around starving.

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“The tea is so light, lots of people are falling sick and have to go home. We plead with government to help us otherwise when school vacates and we go back home, we’ll not return to school again.”

The students also bemoaned the inability of some of their parents to understand their plights, as it is believed that government is catering for them under the current free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

“Our mothers too think when you come to school, you eat well, so when you call to ask them for money or bring you food, they’ll be saying, ‘aren’t you the ones who are being catered for by government, why again are you calling for food or money.’ They really do not understand our situation,” one of the students stated.

Another student added: “When we came previously, they used to serve us Jollof and sausage.

“There’s no money when you ask your mum for money, it takes about a week to arrive, when it comes too, you have a lot of bills to pay because you’re owing people and have to pay for the extra classes or that.”

This directive is in response to the inability of Colleges of Education to make payments for food items supplied to them.

According to PRINCOF, food suppliers who had continued delivering supplies to the Colleges of Education for months without payment have finally withdrawn their services till they receive the monies owed them.

“Most Colleges now have food items that can last only one week if students are to be provided with three (3) meals a day,” PRINCOF said in a letter to the Education Minister.

Consequently, PRINCOF has suggested that:

“Trainee teachers will be provided with two meals, breakfast and supper only for one week, from April 23 to April 30, 2022.

“Trainee teachers from May 1 to May 8, 2022, shall be given lunch only.

“After May 8, trainee teachers would be asked to provide their own meals until their feeding allowances have been paid,” it said.

Meanwhile, food vendors are being encouraged to increase the number of daily meals they cook for sale to students.

“These measures are meant to ensure that there is no disruption of the academic calendar,” the letter concluded.

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This is according to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof Kwasi Opoku Amankwa.

Prof Amankwa revealed this on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Thursday while addressing concerns raised by some parents about the feeding under the Free SHS policy.

He explained the amount was initially GHS 4.40p but was increased following a stakeholder engagement.

The amount, he said, caters for the daily breakfast, lunch and supper of the students in each of the schools.

Some school heads in recent times have also lamented about the quality of food the students are served and circumstances under which they have had to use their monies to support feeding.

But reacting to the claims, Prof Amankwa opined that could not be the reality on the ground.

To him, it will be impossible for any school head to use their personal monies for such a purpose.

“I want to know if these school heads are using their personal monies because myself as the Director General, I do not have enough funds to provide even meat pie for these students within three days,” he said.

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He detailed the food has been budgeted for by the government with the National Buffer Stock supplying non-perishable foodstuffs while funds are provided for the school heads to get the perishable products.

Going further, he stated the programme in recent times have been met with challenges due to the delay in the appointment of Ministers among others in President Nana Akufo-Addo’s second term.