Report Shows Possible Suspension of School Feeding Program

A report has indicated that about 300,000 school-going children nationwide will likely go without the daily school meal in the next academic year. The report shows that the Ministry of Finance owes contractors responsible for the supply of food items millions of leones.

According to a publication by the Global Times Newspaper, a senior official in the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education noted that interest rates on bank loans obtained by contractors keep rising every month because they have not been able to service their bank loans on time, mainly due to non-payment of contractors by the Ministry of Finance.

“Since last year, they have not been paid a single cent…But they have continued to supply because they, as partners do not want the school feeding program to collapse like a pack of cards”, the official said.

Another staff member from MBSSE expressed fear that the school feeding program may be regrettably suspended based on reports they are receiving from some aggrieved contractors that they would have to suspend the supply of food items to the school feeding program if backlog payments are not settled by the Ministry of Finance before the end of July 2025.