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Government
has
paid
caterers
under
the
Ghana
School
Feeding
Programme
(GSFP)
their
arrears
for
the
first
term
of
the
2023/2024
academic
year.
But
the
caterers
in
Ashanti
Region
are
unhappy
with
the
amount
paid,
claiming
they’ve
been
shortchanged.
They
said,
receiving
GHC1.15
pesewas
per
child
instead
of
the
agreed
GHC1.50
pesewas
is
a
breach
of
agreement
and
has
left
many
of
them
in
debt.
“It’s
true
that
the
money
has
been
released,
but
we
are
not
enthused
because
the
former
Minister
for
Gender,
Children
and
Social
Protection,
Hajia
Lariba
told
us
that
though
we
were
demanding
for
3
cedis
per
child,
government
approved
GHC1.50
and
it
was
to
take
effect
in
September
2023
(first
term).
But
after
feeding
the
children
for
9
months,
government
paid
only
the
first
term
arrears
at
a
cost
of
GHC1.20
per
child.
Even
with
that,
the
School
Feeding
Secretariat
gave
us
GHC1.15
claiming
a
tax
of
5
pesewas
has
been
deducted.
That
was
not
the
agreement
because
we
factored
GHC1.50
in
cooking
and
you’re
giving
us
less?
We
are
demanding
for
the
outstanding
35
pesewas”,
Secretary
of
the
School
Feeding
Caterers
in
Ashanti
Region,
Dorothy
Ofori-Sarpong
told
3news.com.
The
caterers
complained
about
the
hikes
in
food
prices
and
how
the
delay
in
releasing
the
funds
is
impacting
on
their
business.
“A
bag
of
beans
that
we
were
buying
for
GHC900
last
year
is
now
between
GHC2,200
and
GHC2,500.
Bag
of
gari
was
GHC800
in
2023,
but
now
we
buy
it
for
GHC1,800.
Prices
of
everything
have
gone
up
significantly
so
if
you
reduce
the
payment,
it
means
you
want
to
kill
us”,
Madam
Dorothy
grumbled.
The
angry
caterers
want
the
second
term
arrears
to
be
paid
by
the
close
of
next
week,
else
they
won’t
cook
when
next
term
begins.
“When
you
look
at
government
payroll,
it
is
huge,
but
they
don’t
complain
about
delays
in
salaries,
so
we
believe
not
paying
us
is
deliberate
because
we
are
nobody.
This
is
an
election
year,
and
the
women
are
angry
that
they
will
boycott
the
December
7
election
if
the
outstanding
balance
is
not
paid,”
she
revealed.