Propaganda, rumour-mongering have no place in education – Chief of Staff on expired rice to SHSs claim

The Chief of Staff Frema Osei Opare says the allegation by North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa that contaminated rice has been distributed to Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country, is not true.

She described this as propaganda and rumour-mongering.

She told journalists at the sidelines of the National Education Book launch on Monday, November 18 that “You know it is not true, so let us focus on things that move this country forward…, how you advance the Ghanaian child, how you improve their opportunities so they become good citizens. Propaganda and rumour-mongering have no place in education.”

Prior to her comments, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Kwasi Kwarteng insisted that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) certified the alleged expired rice before they were distributed to the various secondary schools.

According to him, it is therefore inaccurate for anyone to suggest that secondary school students have been fed with unwholesome rice.

Mr Kwarteng said this in reaction to a call by the NDC caucus in Parliament for a commission of inquiry into circumstances leading to the distribution of supposedly expired bags of rice to some secondary schools,

The opposition MPs, led by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, argue that the Ministry of Education cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial probe into the matter.

“We would like to use this medium to wake up respectfully all those institutions particularly the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health who have been silent on this matter so far. There is the need for an urgent national medical screening exercise, and we would endorse that,” Ablakwa stated.

However, Mr Kwarteng said no wrongdoing has been done on the part of Lamens Ventures, the company responsible for distributing the rice. He admitted though that FDA sanctioned Lamen’s Ventures for re-bagging the rice without approval.

?”To address concerns from schools regarding the rice’s perceived expiry date, Lamens Ventures submitted a formal request to the FDA, dated 9th February 2024, seeking approval to re-bag the remaining stock to reflect the updated shelf life. They did not have approval to re-bag, that is why the FDA slapped a fine on them,” he explained.

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