By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THERE are reports that lunch vendors on the national school lunch programme in Grand Bahama have not been paid for some five months.
The issue was highlighted on a 104.5 FM talk show with radio personality “Purple” during a live broadcast on Tuesday morning.
According to the host the vendors have not been paid and are frustrated. He expressed concern that children on the programme may be affected if the vendors are unable to provide adequate lunch because of non-payment by the government.
The Tribune contacted the Ministry of Education about the reports of non-payment to lunch vendors and was told that cheques for the vendors are prepared in Nassau, not in Freeport.
“Whatever the issue is it is not related to (the Ministry of) Education’s Grand Bahama accounts,” said Royaural Lockhart, an education official. “No payment to the national lunch programme is made from Grand Bahama.”
Mr Lockhart explained that the last time the Grand Bahama office was responsible for the payments was in April 2016.
“We paid the vendors on a weekly basis in Grand Bahama when the funds came to us directly. We have not been receiving the funds. The cheques are done (now) by the (Public) Treasury in Nassau and sent to us to be distributed,” he said.
“We are not responsible for payments. All we do is forward the invoices to our Nassau office and they process it,” Mr Lockhart added.
Meanwhile, the radio host described the situation as unfortunate because many parents and students depend on the lunch programme.
“You also have vendors who are sacrificing to make lunch for students, and are not to be paid for five months. They are not getting paid for a service they provide and the government needs to do something about this,” the radio personality said.
A woman caller said that she was glad that someone addressed the situation.
She complained that sometimes there is not adequate lunch available for students as her child was turned away because he was not on the list.
“When you send them to school, they are told that there is not enough lunch or they can’t get any lunch because their name is not on the list,” she said.
The woman said that she has been given the “run around” when trying to get her child on the lunch programme.
“You have to go to Social Services and they want to know everyone who are living with you and you have to be living really hard (dire conditions) in order to be put on the lunch programme,” she complained.
“And those who did not make it to programme, they tell you send your child to school and tell them get lunch, and they are told that there is not enough lunch, or they don’t get lunch because their name is not on the list,” she said.
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