The Upper East Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Government to take immediate steps to ensure caterers in the School Feeding Programme (GSFP) resume work. A statement signed by the Regional Communications Officer, Mr Jonathan Abdall Salifu, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, said: 'Since the resumption of public basic schools on January 9, 2024, for the second term of the 2024 academic year, caterers contracted under the programme have failed to fulfill their contractual obligation, leaving innocent children without the nutritional support they depend on'. It said capitation and feeding grants for special schools had been in arrears for almost two years. 'Shockingly, the budgetary allocation for basic education as a percentage of the pre-tertiary discretionary budget, has declined from 30 per cent to 10 per cent since 2017,' the statement said. 'Our investigations across all districts in the region reveal that this issue is widespread, affecting n ot only the Upper East Region but also the northern regions of Ghana.' It said caterers who are essential stakeholders in the programme attributed their noncompliance to several months of arrears owed them by the Government. 'Shockingly, some caterers reiterated they have not been paid for over three school terms, highlighting the dire financial situation faced by those responsible for preparing meals for school children,' the statement said. It said the consequences of the actions were severe and impacted on the well-being and educational experience of the most vulnerable members of society; children. The NDC noted that the GSFP is aligned with the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme Pillar Three, aimed to enhance food security and reduce hunger, which aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. 'The neglect of this programme at this critical time jeopardizes the goals of increasing school enrollment, attendance, retention, red ucing hunger, malnutrition, and boosting domestic food production,' it said. 'Failure to address these issues promptly will inevitably lead to high dropout rate, increased absenteeism, and worsened malnutrition, with far-reaching implications on education outcomes and the overall quality of education'. It referenced reports from Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), a non-governmental Civil Society Organization, which indicated that some basic schools in the country had no desks, and in some cases, parents were compelled to pay for desks. 'Basic school children in deprived districts lack essential materials such as exercise books, uniforms and workbooks, further hindering their ability to learn. Textbooks have become a luxury that only a few fortunate students can access,' it said. The NDC said it remained committed to championing the rights of every child to quality education and a dignified life and would continue to monitor the situation closely, and work tirelessly to ensure that the necessary steps were taken to safeguard the educational well-being of children. 'We also implore all stakeholders in education to prioritise and actively advocate increased budgetary allocation, improved teaching and learning resources, and comprehensive support for basic education.' Source: Ghana News Agency