The Public Relations Officer of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) has assured that arrears owed to the school feeding caterers will be settled in due course.

He explained that there was a challenge in getting funds to settle the arrears.

In an interview on Joy FM’s News Night on Monday, he noted that the School Feeding Programme “have put in a request and we have been given a very strong assurance that funds are being mobilised for us to work on and then disburse to the caterers.

“So I am sure, it won’t take long for us to give them the third term payment.”

His comment comes in the wake of caterers from different districts in the region converging at the office of the Regional School Feeding Coordinator to register their displeasure on Monday.

They subsequently withdrew their services ahead of the schools’ reopening on Tuesday, April 3.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/school-feeding-caterers-in-ashanti-region-withdraw-services-over-unpaid-arrears/

The caterers are expecting arrears for the third term in the previous academic year to be paid before they resume work.

They have threatened to throw away the meals cooked by colleagues who may go contrary to the decision.

According to him, the Programme made payment for the second term arrears last week.

He added that they however anticipated that the caterers will dwell on it while waiting for the third-term arrears to be settled.

“For now, we are pleading with them to at least use the one that we paid just last week,” he requested.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, chastised and disregarded caterers under the school feeding program who besieged the Regional Coordinating Council.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/ashanti-regional-minister-chastises-unpaid-school-feeding-caterers-who-besieged-regional-coordinating-council/

 The caterers picketed at the premises demanding payment of unpaid arrears in the second term of the previous academic year.

However, the Minister turned his back on the women because he did not like how the caterers responded to his plea for calm.

The Regional Minister who was unhappy with the chants of the caterers from the first floor of the office reprimanded the caterers.

But some of the caterers retorted which infuriated the Minister to return to his office without receiving their petition.

“If your child comes to you with chants in demand for a favour, will you be happy? You only brought a petition, why don’t you go ahead,” he said.

The chants of the caterers continued until a delegation led by the Minister’s aide, Gloria Temmah Gambrah came to receive the petition.