Over 300,000 maggot-infested bags of rice distributed to Senior High Schools – MP reveals

Member of Parliament (MP) for Akatsi North, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, who serves as the minority spokesperson on education, has made shocking claims during the 2024 budget statement on Thursday, November 23, 2023.

According to Nortsu-Kotoe, over 300,000 bags of maggot-infested rice, known as ‘Lamens’ from India, have been distributed to Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country.

The MP alleged that the rice, which had been imported in 2021, was stored in a warehouse due to the importer’s failure to pay the required duty.

Despite the apparent danger it posed to health, Nortsu-Kotoe claimed that the rice was later distributed to schools.

“Mr. Speaker, as we speak now, there is some rice in the system that has been supplied to Senior High Schools. They call it Lamens, from India. This rice, Mr. Speaker, is maggot-infested,” he asserted.

He went on to explain the concerning timeline, stating, “When it was imported in 2021, the suppliers or the importers did not pay for the duty on the rice, so it had to be stored in a warehouse. Now they have nicodemusly gone to remove this rice and have distributed them to the Senior High Schools, about 5,000 metric tonnes, which is over 300,000 bags of rice.”

“The rice is about to expire. A few weeks to expire, they have now distributed them to the Senior High Schools in the country and that is what they are feeding our children with…. Mr. Speaker, this is so serious that we must look at it carefully. Our children, if we don’t take care, when they come back home, they are going to suffer diarrhea and other forms of diseases,” he added.

The Free SHS policy, which was implemented by the government in 2017, aims to provide free education to all eligible students in public Senior High Schools and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The policy covers the cost of tuition, textbooks, meals, boarding, and other fees. The policy has been praised for increasing access and enrolment to secondary education, but also criticized for its challenges in funding, quality, and infrastructure.