Dear Editor,
The National Breakfast Programme welcomes public scrutiny, as this initiative is funded by the people of Guyana and exists to serve our nation’s children. However, in responding to recent commentary, it is important to separate isolated incidents from systemic realities, and to ensure that the facts of how the programme operates are accurately reflected.
The suggestion that all schools along the East Coast are experiencing wide disparities in meals creates an impression that every one of the 31 schools has been inspected and found wanting. This is not a conclusion that is supported by the facts. While unfortunate incidents may have occurred at one or two schools, it is both inaccurate and unfair to generalise these isolated experiences across the entire corridor. The verification records and field logs maintained by the programme do not reflect widespread disparities as claimed.
Equally troubling is the assertion that caterers submit invoices for individual items such as a pastry cut in half at full price. That claim is wholly untrue, as the modality of the Breakfast Programme supports no such process. Every caterer is paid a fixed cost per breakfast inclusive of juice. Access to payment is strictly dependent on the submission of a fortnightly Dietary Tracker Sheet, stamped and signed by the Head teacher of the school. This sheet certifies the number of meals delivered, the time of delivery, and whether the meals met the required standard. No tracker, no payment. It is a system built on verification, not speculation.
At the programme’s relaunch in 2022, a single standardised menu was piloted. The lesson quickly learned was that Guyana’s communities differ in supply cycles, day to day availability, and cultural (dietary) preferences. In some areas, staple items could not be procured consistently, and rigid menus risked leaving students dissatisfied or meals undelivered. To address this, schools now prepare customised menus guided by a master list developed with nutritionists and the Carnegie School of Home Economics and agreed to by the Head teacher. This ensures that meals are nutritious, culturally appropriate, and within the fixed cost per meal, while also taking into account what students will actually eat.
Oversight of the programme is layered and constant. Teachers and Headteachers have the authority to accept or reject meals on delivery, with their decision recorded on the tracker sheet. Headteachers and teachers are also provided with a daily breakfast, serving as a built-in mechanism of tasting and quality control, thereby ensuring that the meals presented to students are identical in quality and content to those received by staff. On the East Coast, two dedicated field officers, visit schools monthly, engage directly with students and staff, and monitor caterer compliance. Caterers’ kitchens are inspected without notice each term, and all caterers must maintain valid Food Handler’s Certificates monitored by sanitary officers. In addition, every school displays QR codes and hotline numbers so that parents can submit complaints or feedback directly to the Secretariat. At a scale of over 51,000 meals daily, challenges will arise, but the mechanisms are there to identify and address them quickly.
The programme is also one of Guyana’s community based employment initiatives, supporting more than 388 caterers, 95 percent of whom are women. Importantly, when the current administration restructured and expanded the programme, it did not discard those who had worked in the earlier 5B pilot for the East Coast launched under the (previous administration) APNU+AFC government. Instead, those East Coast caterers were brought forward into the new system, ensuring continuity and fairness, while also opening opportunities through publicly advertised vacancies for new applicants. This balance has allowed experienced caterers to continue serving while widening participation to others, strengthening both livelihoods and community trust.
Since its expansion from 11,000 beneficiaries in 2022 to more than 51,000 today, the National Breakfast Programme has had an undeniable impact on school attendance, classroom concentration, and community employment. We remain committed to transparency, equity, and accountability, and we welcome constructive feedback that helps us to improve. In fact, I also warmly invite Ms. Shania to list the isolated schools she believes to be affected to our WhatsApp Support Desk at 707-1199, so that we may directly investigate and address the concerns in the best interest of our students and in the genuineness of our desire to always do better.
Sincerely,
Mahendra Phagwah
Coordinator, National Breakfast Programme
