The Deputy Information Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide, has rubbished claims that President Akufo-Addo’s decision to provide one hot meal for JHS students is tokenism.
His comments come on the back of education centered NGO Africa Education Watch, describing the decision by the president as waste of public resources.
Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare had earlier in an interview stated that there hasn’t been complaints of hunger by anybody, and as such government’s decision to give hot meals is a waste of resources.
“No one has told us that they are hungry; nobody has complained. We have been around the country, nobody has complained, I think in a political season this is tokenism. We are not being prudent, we are not prioritizing our expenditure. If the students were hungry, they would have been dead by now because they’ve been in school for 1 month”.
“Feeding JHS and SHS students is not in line with education. As I said, it’s tokenism. It’s not true that foods are not being sold around schools and students are hungry”.
President Akufo-Addo in his 15th address to the nation had indicated that there has been report of final year students complaining of hunger, and as a result instructed for hot meals for these students.
“As a result of reports I have recently received that some final year JHS students were going hungry, in complying with COVID-19 protocols, I have just instructed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to begin preparations to ensure that, as from 24th August up to 18th September, all five hundred and eighty-four thousand (584,000) final year JHS students, and one hundred and forty-six thousand (146,000) staff, both in public and private schools, be given one hot meal a day. This is to ensure full observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols”.
Reacting to the comment, Mr. Hadzide said the President is feeding the students because there is a real need to.
“I disagree and I will not begrudge people who say the students are not hungry in school. I don’t know what their data is and people must not confuse Ghana to be Accra. You cannot describe government’s decision to feed students as tokenism”.
“I don’t begrudge an NGO for saying it’s tokenism. We can pardon their ignorance. I am not too sure what their data is and who they are talking to,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has also directed continuing students in tertiary institutions to return to school, on 24th August, to finish their academic year.
“Just as was done for final year students who returned to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, will ensure that all these tertiary institutions are disinfected. Universities will be equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and those with their own hospitals and clinics will have isolation centres to deal with any positive cases”.
