School Feeding Programme items stolen in three Volta Regional schools

Food items, cooking utensils and plates stored in three schools benefiting from the Ghana Schools Feeding Programme (GSFP) in the Volta Region have been stolen.

The alleged thefts occurred at Kave and Ave-Fiave Basic Schools in the Ketu-North and Akatsi-North Districts respectively.

Miss Edith Akpoto, Volta Regional GFSP Coordinator who is on a monitoring tour of beneficiary schools in the region, made the disclosure at Ave-Fiave in the Akatsi-North District.

Miss Akpoto, who could not readily mention the third school, said in all cases thieves broke into apartments where the items were stored and made away with the items.

She said she was beginning an inspection tour to ensure that cooking was done in the first week of the term to “avoid caterers swindling the programme with fake claims”.

She said continual theft of GSFP foodstuffs and wares must be stemmed before they spread to cripple the programme.

Miss Akpoto said 117,000 people in 415 schools including kindergartens in the region were under the progremme.

Mr Isaac Getor, Headmaster of the Ave-Fiave Basic Schools, said items stolen at his school could be estimated at GH¢2000.00.

Mr Charles Antwi-Kyeremeh, GFSP Deputy National Coordinator, who was with Miss Akpoto, rated the management of the scheme in the region as one of the best and urged all stakeholders to ensure that it achieves the desired goals.

Mr James Gunu, Ketu-North District Chief Executive (DCE), who was also on a three-day tour of the district to ascertain challenges, assured the team that the district would work to forestall such occurrences.

Source: GNA