The National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Hajia Fati Forgor has undertaken an unannounced monitoring visit to selected beneficiary public primary schools in the Central Region, in a move aimed at strengthening service delivery and ensuring quality standards across the Programme.
The visit sought to provide first-hand assessment of caterers’ performance, gather feedback from school authorities and pupils, and directly engage caterers to understand and address their challenges. In instances where meals were not prepared on school premises, the National Coordinator went a step further by visiting the homes and cooking sites of caterers to observe food preparation processes.
Overall, Haji Fati Forgor expressed satisfaction with the quality of meals being served under the Programme. This observation was strongly echoed by both school authorities and pupils, who commended the caterers—many of whom were engaged barely a year ago—for their commitment to providing nutritious and well-prepared meals.
However, concerns were raised regarding the quantity of food served.
At the Nyanyano Kakraba Zion “A” Basic School, which currently has an enrollment of 630 pupils, Headmistress Agnes Arthur noted that although the quality of food is commendable, “the quantity remains a concern.” She emphasized that the School Feeding Programme has significantly improved school attendance, particularly among pupils from underprivileged backgrounds who often come to school on empty stomachs.
“Anytime caterers lay down their tools, attendance drops drastically because many of these children depend on the meals,” she added.
School authorities and pupils alike expressed excitement over the National Coordinator’s personal visit, describing it as motivating and reassuring. They called for more of such unannounced inspections and further appealed to government to increase the feeding grant to sustain and enhance the Programme.
At Dadzeban D/A Basic School, Headmistress Akankoh Josephine Lisa who was full of praise for the caterer in her school, but reiterated calls for increase in feeding grant to help improve quantity of meal served.
Addressing the issue of quantity, the National Coordinator made a passionate appeal to caterers to improve portion sizes, while assuring them that the Secretariat continues to engage government on the need to increase the feeding grant.
Thw feeding grant was increased from GHc 1.50 to GHc 2 when the new government took over office in 2025.
She also recommended that future school construction projects should include dedicated kitchen facilities to support safe and efficient meal preparation.
The National Coordinator was joined on the visit by the Central Regional Coordinator of GSFP,Madam Janet Quansah, Director of Public Relations Siiba Alfa and some officials of GSFP.
Meanwhile, similar unannounced visits are ongoing in some regions across the country.
The Ghana School Feeding Programme remains a critical social intervention, improving not only nutrition but also school enrollment and attendance across the country.
