School Feeding caterers boycott cooking over non-payment of contract cash

Pupils of public primary schools who are beneficiaries of the School Feeding Program will from today, May 15, 2017, have to depend on their parents for food during school hours following the boycott of caterers of the Program over non-payment of their contract sum.

The caterers numbering over 5,400 nationwide will this morning at 9am picket at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to demand for payment of their contract sum having worked for 148 days.

Spokesperson for the caterers, Maame Yaa Duodua Appiakorang, told Akwasi Nsiah on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Sunday, that their move is to draw the attention of the Gender Minister over their plight.

According to her, for almost a year now, not a single payment has been made to the caterers to enable them also settle their debts, a situation she noted, has brought a lot of hardship on them with some “even passing on”.

“June will be exactly one year having rendered our services to the School Feeding Program without receiving any payment. We engaged the previous government several times but they didn’t listen to us. We have also engaged the new government but no one seems to hear us. We are heavily indebted now. Some of the caterers have even died because of constant harassment from the people that we borrow from.”

“That is why we are saying that from today onwards, it will be very difficult for us to cook for the children because we have run out of food items and money,” she noted.

What is even worrying to the caterers, she noted, was the announcement by the Deputy Gender Minister that an amount of GH₵140million has been released to pay the caterers.




“On May 7th, 2017, the deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection announced that an amount of GH₵140million has been released to pay us. So, if the money has been released, why are they not paying us?” she quizzed.

Madam Appiakorang commenting further complained bitterly about the mode of payment by the Gender Ministry.

She said when the Program was under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, they government effected payment through the banks which enabled them to even take loans to render the service before they are paid at a later date.

Under the Ministry of Local Government, their withholding tax was also deducted from source where a tax clearance certificate was provided to them.

However, when the Program was moved to Gender Ministry and payment made through Mobile Money system, they have not been able to access loans from the banks neither have their tax clearance certificates been issued to them.

The situation, she noted, is not helping their course and therefore wants the government to have a second look at their payment system.

Source:Kasapafmonline