Caterers under the government’s school feeding programme in the Ashanti Region have withdrawn their services after school resumed on Tuesday, April 4.
This comes after their threat a week ago to withdraw their services over the government’s inability to pay more than three terms arrears owed them.
The caterers also demand an increment in the amount government pays per child daily from 97 pesewas to GH¢3.00.
They say the current amount is unsustainable because of the current state of the economy and its accompanying high cost of food commodities.
Some headteachers confirmed that they were not expecting to receive food for the pupils on Tuesday as several attempts to reach the caterers were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the caterers had gone to picket at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council(ARCC) in the early hours of Monday, April 3, to get authorities to address their concerns.
However, they disclosed that the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, shut them out of his office and rejected their petition.
A spokesperson for the caterers, Dorothy Sarpong, said they had gone to the political head of the region to appeal for their arrears to be cleared only to be told they were making noise and asked to go away.
Narrating the incident, Mrs Sarpong said it was so disappointing that the regional minister could do that to them despite the problems the caterers go through to provide meals for school children.
She insisted that all regional caterers will not cook until the government addresses their concerns.