Accra, Oct. 5, GNA - Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on Wednesday stressed Government's determination to decentralise the School Feeding Programme in an effort to make the work of those implementing the programme less cumbersome.

He explained that decentralisation would facilitate access to funds for the programme at the district level because when everything was concentrated in Accra it became difficult to implement. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo contributing to a meeting on how to forge a workable roadmap for the National School Feeding Programme with stakeholders, said the Ministry was working to resource all 10 regional programme offices with logistics including cross-country vehicles to facilitate effective monitoring. He commended the World Food Programme for initiating the process of procuring a monitoring expert to support the National Secretariat and the Programme.

"We are also full of praise for the Dutch Government for its tremendous support to the programme despite the expiration of its official time to support it". Mr Seidu Adamu, GSFP National Coordinator, noted that the programme had embarked on a project to resolve major challenges associated with its implementation including institutional capacity, appropriate targeting of deprived schools and logistical constraints. He noted that about 1,040,747 pupils in public schools were benefiting from the programme by the end of October, this year. Mr Adamu said funds would be released to the districts after they had satisfied the National Secretariat and fully complied with directives to select poor schools as beneficiaries based on the criteria provided.

He announced that from next academic year, each caterer would only be given 500 pupils to cater for in order to ensure its effectiveness.

"We are currently collecting information from all the districts and we envisage that by December 2011, more poor children would benefit and more caterers especially those from deprived communities would be employed," he added.

Mr Adamu urged stakeholders to deliberate on how to improve on the nutritional values of the food provided, how the programme could be financially sustained, and how the private sector could participate to sustain the programme.