The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has voiced concerns over the poor quality of food served to students in various schools across the country.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu took a swipe at headmasters and headmistresses for supervising what he described as substandard meals for students.
He has therefore served notice that the government may revoke their authority to directly procure food for their institutions if the situation remains the same.
The lawmaker made the remarks when swearing in the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council in Accra.
He disclosed that the ministry has received a report from the president over the matter.
“It has been brought to the attention of the president and has been brought to my attention that some of your headmasters 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 maybe Director General GES and 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.
Meanwhile, the minister has also raised concerns about rising indiscipline and insecurity in schools.
He was worried about 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 gunshots 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 said.
On his part, Council Chairman Prof. Mawutor Avoke gave the minister the assurance that the committee will ensure discipline and improve conditions in schools.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
