The minister of gender, children, and social protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, requested a GH1.20 increase, but the caterers participating in the school feeding program rebuffed it.
The hike is unsatisfactory and unfair, according to the caterers.
Since the schools have resumed operations, the caterers have stopped providing their services and are requesting that the government increase the daily allowance per pupil and pay back any outstanding debts.
Before ending their strike, the irate caterers demand payment of GHC 3.50 per child.
The spokesperson for the caterers in the Ashanti Region, Dorothy Ofori Sarpong, voiced her displeasure with the Minister’s reaction to her complaints.
“Even though the Minister talked, we are not going to cook; we are still on strike. She arrived, but her words weren’t satisfactory to us. With the exception of the third term in 2022, the arrears she claimed to have paid off are false. If she claims that all arrears have been paid, it is untrue because there are still outstanding balances from 2019 through 2020 and 2021.
“With the GH1.20 proposed sum, we will not agree. We pray that she returns and comes back to tell us something better because we cannot utilize this to make the children’s food any better.
The Ashanti Region’s top caterers working for the government’s school feeding program have also voiced their displeasure with the Gender Minister’s response to their issues.
The caterers want the gender minister to travel to different districts to understand the struggles their customers face.
The Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, promised the striking caterers that arrangements are in place to pay pending arrears for the third term of the 2022 academic year during the Meet the Press series on Sunday.
