Madam Gifty Asamoah, a caterer for the school feeding program in the Ashanti region, has issued a strong curse against the person responsible for the Auditor General’s report, which accused school feeding caterers of cooking unwholesome foods for students in Ghanaian basic schools.
Expressing her deep disappointment, Madam Asamoah declared, “Whoever is behind this false report will see no peace in their life. Every time I read this report, I feel nothing but pain.”
Her reaction comes in the wake of the Auditor General’s report, which revealed that during inspections at some schools, mouldy corn dough was found. The report, evaluating the effectiveness and progress of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) initiated in 2005, also noted that non-protein ingredients were used in the preparation of meals like jollof rice, violating programme guidelines.
According to the report, concerns raised by students and teachers about substandard meals were largely ignored. “We observed that some caterers did not use healthful ingredients to cook meals. For instance, at Ankyernyin D/A Basic School, cooks were seen preparing jollof without any protein in the presence of the caterer and the Western Regional Coordinator,” the report stated.
Madam Asamoah has vehemently urged Ghanaians to disregard the Auditor General’s findings. She pointed out that despite insufficient government funding, caterers like herself take out loans to ensure that basic school children receive meals.
“How can you say we cook unhealthy food and use mouldy ingredients? Even the teachers in the basic schools fight over our meals because they are delicious and healthy. Some teachers even quarrel with us when they realize we can no longer provide food for them. I am highly disappointed, and whoever is behind this will find no peace,” she emphasized.
She further clarified that if the report had singled out specific caterers, she wouldn’t have taken offense. However, the generalized accusations were unfair.
Madam Asamoah added that due to the funding issues, she has stopped cooking for the children, and banks are now unwilling to loan her any more money. “I have stopped cooking for the children for some time now because of funding, and no one is willing to loan me anymore,” she lamented.
She made this assertions in a phone interview on Hot FM Morning Show monitored by Puretvonline.com on Wednesday, July, 18, 2024.