Ensure good quality food for all students – Haruna to GES Council

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council to ensure good quality food for all students, expressing disappointment over the poor quality of food served in various schools across the country.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the GES Council in Accra, Minister Iddrisu emphasized the need for quality food in schools.

According to Minister Iddrisu, despite a government policy that allows school heads to manage food procurement, many schools are serving substandard meals. “It has been brought to the attention of the President and has been brought to my attention that some of your headmasters we are not satisfied with the quality of the food that is being supplied,” he said.

The Minister warned that if the situation doesn’t improve, he won’t hesitate to reverse the policy decision. “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,” he added.

Minister Iddrisu also called for regular checks on food quality and suggested unannounced visits to schools during meal times. “I expect that internal audit in the schools together with national will check the quality of the food, and once in a while may be Director General GES 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.

Beyond food quality, Minister Iddrisu expressed concern about rising indiscipline and insecurity in schools. “The safety of people and the safety of teachers, you have heard of the story of gun shot 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 directed.

The Minister formally inaugurated the new GES Council, tasking them with tackling these challenges head-on.