The 2022 Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL)’s report which was lately tabled in the Well of Parliament indicates that the total value of the contract signed by the GoSL for the implementation by WEP and JAM of the School Feeding Project was Le28 billion.
But the initial budget requested by JAM (Joint Aid Management) and WEP (World Food Programme) totaled at Lel56.8 billion.
UK based JAM and WEP are NGOs who have been implementing Sierra Leone’s government’s school feeding project.
According to the report the financial details provided by the MBSSE showed that only Lel0 billion and Lel8 billion totalling 28bn was only paid to JAM and WFP respectively.
The audit report stated that the delivery notes from schools visited showed that for the 2019/2020 school year, the average time that food items were supplied was March 2020 which was six months after the reopening of schools.
Whereas, in 2021/2022 school year, no food was supplied during the first term, the report adds that the supply of food items started in January which is in the second term of the school year.
The report alleged that the food prepared was not sufficient for the number of school children enrolled.
It says to prove this, the audit team witnessed scenes in a number of schools where children had to leave their classrooms in search of food in other classes, and in the open kitchens in search of remnants.
Out of a total of 22 schools visited that benefited from the School Feeding Project, only eight had storage facilities with three in good condition.
The others were without storage facilities, stating that they either stored their food supplies in the premises of the head teachers, paramount chiefs or buildings close to the schools.
The audit service therefore, recommended that, the School Feeding Secretariat should collaborate with key stakeholders to address the issues raised above.
Another specific recommendation called for the Inter-Ministerial Committee in collaboration with key stakeholders who should carry out a detailed assessment of the financial, infrastructural, human, and material needs of the national school feeding programme so as to ensure resources are adequate to achieve the objective of the school feeding programme.
It continued that the Coordinator of the SFP should ensure that the regional offices are enhanced for the monitoring of food items distributed by implementing partners in order to assess the quality of food supplied before approval for distribution to schools.
The audit service went on that the Permanent Secretary of the MBSSE and the Financial Secretary at the Ministry of Finance should map out a strategy that could highlight other means of sustainable funding to enable the Government fulfilled its financial obligations.
It says, the implementing partners should adopt a system that will ensure that food is supplied before the start of the school year and should be enough to last for the school term.
It went further that the GoSL should also ensure that they meet all of their financial obligations to foster efficient implementation of the SFP.
He furthered that the GoSL through the MBSSE, should ensure that the MoU with partners and reassignment of areas to implement are signed earlier in order to ensure that food is provided before commencement of the school year.
The audit service said the MBSSE should come up with strategies together with the community stakeholders on how the other condiments could be provided in cases where parents are reluctant or where condiments could not be provided.