Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has issued a firm warning to headmasters, stating he may reverse the decision to decentralise food procurement in Senior High Schools (SHSs) if the quality of meals provided to students does not meet acceptable standards.

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Speaking during an engagement with officials of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Minister expressed dissatisfaction with both the standard and timely delivery of food being served in schools.

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"We are not satisfied with the quality of the food that is being supplied and we are not satisfied with the timely distribution of the food," he said. "I'll not hesitate to reverse that policy decision, even though a manifesto pledge, in order to guarantee that the right quality and quantity of food product are supplied."

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He called for stricter oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability in the food procurement process, suggesting surprise visits to schools during meal times.

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"I expect that internal audit in the schools together with national, will strengthen the policing of the food and once in a while, Director General, you and Professor Avoker, you can have unannounced visits to the schools at the time that they are having their meals so you can appreciate the quality of food that is being served," he stated.

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"So a caution to our headmasters to improve the food that is being supplied is quality."

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The decentralisation policy, a key commitment in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto, proposes a shift from the centralised food supply system—currently managed by the National Food Buffer Stock Company—to a school-based model where feeding grants are allocated directly to heads of institutions. Under the policy, headmasters would be empowered to procure food locally.

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However, Minister Iddrisu made it clear that implementation of this policy hinges on the consistent delivery of quality meals. Should standards continue to fall short, he will not hesitate to cancel the initiative.

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Meanwhile, a caterer under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Naa Humu Boateng, has pushed back against public concerns over the taste and nutritional value of meals served to schoolchildren. She attributed complaints to financial constraints that affect meal sizes, not the quality of preparation.

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“Our food is not tasteless, but the quantity is small. In terms of protein, sometimes we use beans, and beans has protein. And we do not cook raw rice, we add vegetables, and there is nutrition in the vegetables,” she explained on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Friday, May 2.

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She lamented the inadequacy of funds disbursed for meal preparation, noting that the promised increases in stipends have not been actualised.

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“The money that they were paying us was 97 pesewas, and they increased it to 1 cedi 45 pesewas, and the last time we heard that they are increasing it to 2 Ghana cedis. But even with that, we haven’t received it yet, so how do you expect us to use an amount of 500 or 400 Ghana cedis to cook for about 350 school kids?

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“We cook the food well, but the quantity is small. So the rumour that the food is tasteless is not true, because I eat the food myself,” she said.

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