SCHOOLS FEEDING CATERERS GO TO COURT

Thousands of children across the 17 district of the Western Region have reported for their first day schools amidst inadequate infrastructure.
Others were also not able to enjoy their first meal in school, under the school feeding programme due to the suspension of catering services in some districts.
The existing caterers and potentials ones have been asked to reapply; thereby some children were not welcome with the hot meal as expected.
Officials of the Regional Coordinating Council, district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies have moved to various schools in their local communities.
Some districts, especially, the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly have suspended the school feeding programme and urged the existing and new applicants to reapply.
The caterers were not happy since the announcement was made just a day before my first day in school by the assembly and some parts of the metropolis.
At Shama, about 17 people have applied to cook for the children and had gone through the processes to start cooking for the children. While in Axim, and other assemblies had not taken decision to dissolve the existing caterers.
However, there was a slight problem last Monday at Shama when one of the caterer who was said to have opted out of the programme went to demolish part of the kitchen at Shama claiming the extension was done by her.
When contacted, the District Chief Executive, Ms Emila Arthur said she heard about the demolition but the caterer said she built the structure herself and since she was not going to be part of the programme she had decided to remove the extension.
The DCE also visited almost all the schools in the district and share with the children as well as encourage parents to give all the needed support to ensure solid foundation for their children.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the chief executive said the biggest challenge was infrastructure and she would do everything possible to ensure that something was done about it.
At Adwoa, in the Ahanta Weste district, there was overcrowding in the some schools, and the situation was not different in other districts as more children have turnout for school.
In the Nzema East Municipal Assembly, the situation was not different many children have reported with their parents in many of the school visited.
The problem of inadequate classroom, furniture among others remain the major obstacle, many of the officials of schools said there was the need for improvement in social infrastructure.
According to the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, the strength of every nation was the base of child future leaders.
He said if the country had to move forward and achieve its human resource needs for development, there was the need for a strong foundation for children.
He said the government would not toy with the foundation of the future leaders of the country.
He urged parents to ensure that they worked together with the children to ensure solid foundation for the children.