Schoolchildren in the Sisaala West District have gone without the promised one hot meal a day since the last academic year, despite the continuation of the national school feeding programme in other districts.
The halt has been worrying residents who are pleading with authorities to solve all problems, if any, to ensure the resumption of cooking for the children.
Though some residents linked the halt to disagreements over the selection of caterers, authorities at the Upper West Regional School Feeding Programme secretariat debunked the assertion.
Madam Prisca Domenyevi Kuupol, the Upper West Regional School Feeding Programme Coordinator, told the GNA that her office had yet to receive the list of caterers from the District Chief Executive (DCE) through the Regional Minister.
This delay, she explained, had left pupils in the Sisaala West excluded from the School Feeding programme.
She expressed hope that the programme would resume as soon as caterers were selected.
Some of the pupils the GNA spoke to expressed frustration about the situation and appealed to the authorities to help solve the problem.
Ms Inusah Farida, a class four pupil at Silbelle Basic School, appealed to authorities to “fast-track resolving the unfortunate issue,”.
Master Issifu Sadat from Bouti Basic School expressed surprise that pupils in the neighbouring Sisaala East Municipality continue to enjoy the meals while they were left out.
Others who spoke to the GNA said hunger often left them dizzy during lessons, which could lead to some of them dropping out of school if the problem was not solved.
A teacher at Bouti Basic School, who pleaded anonymity with the Ghana News Agency, said the absence of the feeding programme had reduced enrolment and increased absenteeism.
Some pupils, he noted, skip classes to search for food.
A concerned parent added that children who leave school during break risk straying into dangerous areas such as rivers or bushes.
Mr Fuseini Gbene, the Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE), also expressed concern about the delay and expressed hope that all concerns would be addressed for cooking to resume.
He assured that caterers would begin serving pupils from Monday, September 29, 2025, although he could not confirm whether missed meals would be compensated.
