The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has dismissed calls for the Ghana School Feeding Programme to be scrapped. It said the call was misplaced because the programme was good and had contributed to increased enrolment in schools. The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) called for the abolition of the programme saying it was discriminatory. According to the association the programme discriminated against some schools because it was not being implemented in all schools in the country. The president of NAGRAT, Mr. Kwame Alorvi said the programme had not led to any increased enrolment as was being suggested. He said the money spent on the SFP should rather be used to motivate teachers to give off their best. But the GNAT President, Mr. Joseph Adjei disagree saying that school enrolment had improved significantly particularly in the rural areas following the introduction of the programme. He said it was wrong to suggest that money used in feeding kids should rather be given to teachers. According to him, teachers should rather fight for better conditions of service. Mr. Zan Akongo of SEND Foundation, who has been monitoring the SFP, also says the programme is of tremendous help to parents and pupils. He said despite the operational difficulties at the district assembly level, the programme provides a “sustainability safe valve” for families. The Deputy Local Government Minister, Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah described the call as unfortunate. He told Joy News that the capacity of the managers of the programme at the district level was being built. That, he said will ensure that the bottlenecks are removed to allow for smooth implementation of the SFP. Story by Malik Abass Daabu