Pupils and students benefiting from the school feeding programme would also have access to free healthcare services.

The government is finalising modalities to register them under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), says Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

She said the school feeding programme would be extended to cover more schools by the close of the year.

The Deputy Minister said government was also finalisimg discussions with the Ghana COCOBOD to supply the school children with cocoa drinks to improve on their health.

Mrs Prempeh, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency, made this known when she interacted with the chiefs and people of Tanoso, Yamfo and Afrisipakrom in the Ahafo Region at separate community fora on Monday.

Accompanied by key staff of the Ministry, the Deputy Minister is embarking on a five-day working visit to engage and sensitize communities in the region.

Mrs Prempeh cautioned caterers engaged in the school feeding programme to prepare nutritious meals to help improve on their health.

The Deputy Minister said the government is on course to attain its objectives adding that it's social intervention programmes would be sustained to improve on the socio-economic livelihoods of the people.
Mrs Jocelyn Adii, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Director of Gender, expressed concern over the incidence of teenage pregnancy, which is contributing to early marriages in the communities.

She said many parents instead of supporting their girls to continue their education, they gave them out for marriage.

Mrs Adii said the situation was seriously affecting girl child education and called for concerted efforts to stem rise in teenage pregnancies in communities.

Mrs Abenaa Asare, the Head of the Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Unit of the Ministry, said child marriage is a serious human rights abuse and cautioned parents on the need to refrain from the act.

She also advised parents to support their children to go into employable skills training instead of assisting them to travel abroad through unapproved means.