Education Ministry Probes Reports Of Expired Rice Being Sent To SHSs: “We Will Pursue This Matter”
- The Ministry of Education is probing concerns that secondary school students were fed repackaged expired rice
- North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made these claims along with documents he attributed to the FDA
- The education ministry assured stakeholders that it would take the concerns about expired food very seriously
The Ministry of Education is probing concerns that 22,000 bags of expired rice were repackaged and supplied to Senior High Schools nationwide.
The ministry has since given assurances that it would take the concerns raised seriously.
Source: Facebook
The claims were made by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who provided documents from the Ashanti Region FDA as evidence.
Citi News reported that the ministry thanked Ablakwa for bringing the issue to its notice.
“We take these allegations seriously and, as a matter of urgency, have commenced a full investigation.”
The ministry also said it had engaged the entities responsible for supplying and distributing food to senior high schools.
It further assured the public of its commitment to protecting the health and safety of every student under our care.
What Ablakwa said about the expired rice
Ablakwa's concerns stemmed from a December 2023 alert to the Ashanti Regional Office of the FDA about a suspicious repackaging exercise.
He alleged that a company friendly to the government was allowed to repackage over 15,000 50kg bags of expired and contaminated rice into different 50kg bags without expiry dates.
Ablakwa said his checks showed that the expired and contaminated rice was then delivered to Senior High Schools across the country and fed to students in schools.
The rice had allegedly been imported from India by a company known as Lamens Investments Africa Limited.
Expired food already found in schools
YEN.com.gh reported that the FDA had already found expired food items in the storerooms of schools like the Zuarungu Senior High School.
The expired items were seized and taken away when an FDA team conducted an snspection on the campus in the Bolgatanga East District.
The FDA also urged school administrators to prioritise adherence to food safety standards within educational settings to avoid such cases.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
