AG finds accountability issues with School Feeding Programme

Oct 26, 2016 News

Some systems of accountability are lacking within the public education system to monitor an ongoing multi-million-dollar programme designed to provide a meal to pupils during school hours.
This situation has been highlighted by the 2015 Auditor General Report which was recently laid in the National Assembly.
According to the Report, amounts totaling $419.582M were expended on the Ministry’s School Feeding Programme. The programme is one that caters to the purchase of juice and biscuits which constitute the meal given to the pupils.
However, following a process of examination of payment vouchers, discrepancies were uncovered. This, according to the Report, translated to monthly distribution reports not being returned by the Divisional Officers to the Book Distribution Unit (BDU) which has responsibility for distributing the juices and biscuits to schools within the respective Regions.
Similarly, in 2015 amounts totaling $309.731M were expended, and monthly distribution reports were not always returned to the Book Distribution Unit. According to the Report, “The non-submission of the monthly distribution reports made it impractical to ascertain whether the schools had received the juices and biscuits for the period for which reports were un-presented.”
Based on the information detailed in the Audit Report, at the time of reporting reports were outstanding for many months for Regions One, Seven and Eight.
While there was an outstanding report for Region One for October 2014, Region Seven had outstanding reports for the months of January to June and September to November 2014 and February to June, 2015. Reports were also yet to be received for the months of February to April, June, September to November, 2014 and February and May to June, 2015 for Region Eight.
The Ministry has acknowledged the non-submission of monthly distribution reports but has noted that there are individual listings for each school substantiating delivery. However, the Audit Office has recommended that efforts be made to ensure that functioning systems be put in place to account for the distribution of juice and biscuits.
The National School Feeding Programmes was introduced by the Government in February 2010. The Ministry of Education receives support from the Ministry of Communities formerly the Ministry of Local Government and other stakeholders to ensure that this policy initiative of the government is successfully implemented.
The programme, according to information availed by the Education Ministry, targets all Nursery Schools and all Grades One and Two in Primary Schools. The School Feeding Programme was implemented in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, 10 and Georgetown. However, it was noted that Regions Seven, Eight and Nine are targeted separately.
All schools are required to observe a standardized regulatory framework which outlines that head teachers are responsible for the coordination of the programme in their respective schools, that a school report register must be in place at every school and that inspection visits must be carried out by Ministry Officials.
The framework also stipulates that snack break must be effected in the morning sessions and be consistent with normal ‘break’ in the respective schools’ timetables and that under no circumstance must these items be offered for sale or have parents make any monetary contribution.

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