School Feeding Collapsing; MP Accuses Gov’t of Insensitivity

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Builsa-South constituency, Dr Clement Apaak, has slammed President Nana Akufo-Addo, for releasing a whopping GH¢200 million towards the construction of the controversial national cathedral, while caterers of the flagship School Feeding Programme continue to strike.

According to the Deputy Ranking Member on Education, government’s apparent lackadaisical attitude towards the programme instituted many years ago by the erstwhile Kufuor government – to provide one hot-meal for pupils in public basic schools across the country, is worrying.

The programme, which is under the Gender, Children and Social Protection Ministry and headed by Mrs. Gertrude Quashigah, as a Coordinator, according to media reports, has since had pupils withdrawn from school as a result of the unavailability of food.

But in his latest piece following the strike by the caterers some six weeks ago, for unaddressed concerns including unpaid arrears as well as calls to increase the current GH¢ 0.97 to GH¢3.00 per student, Dr Apaak said he was surprised at the level of “insensitivity” being exhibited by government.

“It beats my imagination how the attitude of government seems lethargic in addressing this urgent matter.

Those who share this position cannot be faulted when government continues to exhibit these hardcore traits of insensitivity to the plight of the deprived and the most vulnerable in our society.

Government cannot claim funding is the issue, when we now know that huge sums of our taxes have been clandestinely released towards the fulfillment of a private and personal pledge to build a cathedral”, part of his statement copied to The Anchor reads.

Aside faulting the President for releasing the said money illegally through Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, the MP insisted the poor tax payer should not be made to fund a project which came about as a result of a personal promise to God, at the expense of the over one million pupils, who benefit from the School Feeding programme.

“So far, the Akufo-Addo government has illegally, unlawfully spent a whopping GH¢200m to finance the fulfillment of his personal pledge to his God to build him a cathedral; without the requisite permission and parliamentary approval for any such disbursement of state funds.

In his own words, Akufo-Addo said: “I made a pledge to God, that, if I become the President after two unsuccessful attempts in the 2016 Presidential Elections, I will build a Cathedral to the glory of God.”  Meanwhile, he has reneged on the use of taxpayer’s money to address issues citizens voted him into power to tackle; such as the payment of school feeding caterers to carry out their services of providing decent meals for 1.69 million pupils, to continue to keep these children in school”, he argued.

Though a Christian, Dr Apaak said it is improper for the President to unlawfully take funds from the national kitty to fulfill his personal promise while many live in penury.

He quoted portions of President Akufo-Addo’s past statements which emphatically assured that the national purse was not going to be stressed with the building of the cathedral which has turned out to be untrue.

“Though a Christian, it is not acceptable and remains inappropriate for Akufo-Addo to use public resources in the fulfillment of a personal pledge, such as the building of a cathedral, whilst a significant number of the population wallows in glaring abject poverty. As the case stood, the narrative was that the building of the cathedral was not going to burden the public purse. So, why did Akufo-Addo stealthily initiate processes, unlawfully, using his cousin Ken Ofori-Atta, to do otherwise”, he said.

Read his full statement below on Feature Page 7:

source:anchorghana