School feeding as a social protection programme or a political largesse: a review

Abstract

Purpose In an attempt to tackle the incidence of poverty and social exclusion in the Ghanaian society, a number of social protection programmes including the school feeding programme is introduced. The programme is designed to cater for the extreme poor and as well encourage enrolment and attendance in the country. The purpose of this paper is to assess the intention or objective for which the programme is initiated and the realities on the ground. It looks at whether the current beneficiaries are the extreme poor described in the policy document. Design/methodology/approach The study explored the incidence of poverty in Ghana using the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS6) and the Ghana School Feeding Annual Operation Plan (GSFAOP) with the help of the school feeding policy document to draw on actual beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries. The differences between percentages of poverty (2012/2013) and feeding schools was computed using GLSS6 and GSFAOP. The study also conducted a number of open-ended interviews with some stakeholders to validate the nature of recruitment of beneficiary schools. Findings The study concluded that there is a mismatch of potential beneficiaries and current beneficiaries using the referred data sources. It was found out that majority of beneficiary schools are located within areas of lesser incidence of poverty. This could be attributed to political interference in view of testimonies from respondents and the computerisation of GLSS6 and GSFAOP. The study therefore proposed that the allocation of feeding schools should be done to reflect the percentage of poverty situation in each region. This could be achieved when the district education office takes control. It will help minimise the level of politicisation and as well improve efficiency. Originality/value The study therefore highlighted the relevance of the school feeding programme and the inverse relationship it has with political interference. It again demonstrates the need to restructure the operations of the programme to meet the objective for which it was established.

Programas de Alimentação Escolar Pelo Mundo: Preservação da Saúde Física e Cognitiva das Crianças e Adolescentes

“…Crianças famintas têm menor energia e habilidades de pensamento são afetadas, gerando deficit de concentração. A fome impede que crianças pobres ou famintas tenham direito à educação e é um dos principais alvos de programa de alimentação escolar (IDDRISU et al, 2019).…”

“…Países africanos têm procurado ampliar programas de alimentação escolar baseados na experiência do Brasil, que reduziu os impactos da pobreza por meio da alimentação escolar. O Brasil é considerado modelo em todo o mundo na implementação do programa de alimentação escolar sem interferência política (IDDRISU et al, 2019;SONNINO;LOZANO TORRES;SCHNEIDER, 2014).…”

“…A Tabela 3 mostra o alcance do programa por distrito do país (IDDRISU et al, 2019). Os dados mostram que há grande variação de alcance percentual dos alunos beneficiados no período estudado entre os diferentes distritos de Gana.…”

Problems in the Operations of the School Feeding Programme in Ghana

“…Given the educational gap between the southern sector and the northern sector of the country in Ghana, it drives public action against illiteracy and inequality in access to basic education [11]. The move to eliminate illiteracy in the Ghanaian society is the objective of successive governments.…”

School Selection and Local Food Production in Ghana’s School Feeding Programme

“…Salifu, Boateng and Kunduzore (2018) have also discussed the contribution of Ghana's feeding programme towards the achievement of free compulsory basic education in Ghana, and found that it has had a positive influence on school enrolment and retention; however, it is silent on what pertains in non-participating schools in the same community or towns. Iddrisu et al (2019) have also questioned the link between the selection of participating schools and the objective of the programme to reduce poverty, and have pointed to problems associated with selection of schools.…”