The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) is calling on the government to scrap off the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP). The association argued that the programme is unsustainable, overburdens the under-resourced teachers and among others make parents less responsible. Under the project, which is 50% financed by the Dutch Government and the other half by the Government of Ghana, pupils in basic schools are fed on a healthy meal a day. President of NAGRAT, Kwame Alorvi on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, said the programme is discriminating because not all children are benefiting, after two years of operation. He asked the government to channel resources for the GSFP into improving lives of teachers. The resources, Mr. Alorvi said, could also be used to better conditions of parents by engaging them in sustainable ventures to enable them cater for their school going age children. He said government’s claims on increase in school enrolment, due to the programme, could not be feasible, because, parents actually chase schools with GSFP; and in the process swelling the schools’ numbers and decreasing that of other schools. However, the National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Program, Mr. Michael Nsowah, disagreed that the programme should be scrapped. He said GSFP does not only aim at giving food to the children, but on the long term, to achieve the universal basic education projected by the government. He said the programme has not discriminated against anybody. The former Director General of the Ghana Education Service said the programme is an international convention Ghana is conforming to in order to increase the number of children in school. I will also lessen burdens of poor parents and feed their malnourished children in school. He also conceded the need for government to increase infrastructure in schools. The government spends $65 million annually on the Ghana School Feeding Programme. Story by Isaac Essel