Hazel blames UNC for chaos in school feeding

Education Minister Hazel Manning ascribed the chaos and confusion in the School Feeding Programme to three years of bungling under the former UNC government and said it took decisive action by the PNM to ensure that the nation’s schoolchildren did not continue to suffer. In a written response to a question filed in the House of Representatives last Friday by Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Manning said, “When the present Government took office in December 2001, the School Feeding Programme had some 76 caterers whose contracts has been issued prior to that time. It was also observed that there had not been any Board in place for several years.

“The Government sought to regularise the operations of the School Nutrition Programme and appointed a Board of directors (Control Committee) in keeping with the original directives/decision of the Cabinet since there had been a hiatus from 1999 when the then Control Committee of the School Nutrition Programme demitted office. The new Board was appointed in January 2002 under the chairmanship of Joycelyn Bodden and included representatives from the Ministries of Education, Health, Social Development and Agriculture.” The Minister indicated that Government felt that “a broad range of interests” should be represented on the Board and additional members were appointed from the Small Business Development Company,
TT Hospitality Institute, National Parent Teachers’ Association of TT and the TTUTA.

She added that the Board “was also empowered to co-opt persons from other areas of expertise as it deemed necessary.” Manning said in keeping with Government’s Vision 2020 objectives, the Board was directed to take certain steps to improve the programme’s efficiency and, in September 2002, the programme was granted company status and the National Dietary Services Ltd was subsequently established. The Minister stated that there were 77 caterers listed under the programme and “it is to be noted that many of these caterers have had their contracts renewed at the end of the respective contract periods. “When it is determined that there should be new contracts awarded, invitations for tender are advertised in the media in accordance with the regulations of the Central Tenders Board. Applications, when received, are vetted according to the ‘criteria for the selection of tenderers’ and then a final selection is made.

The criteria for the selection of tenderers includes procedures such as the financial capability of the prospective caterer to finance the operation for at least 60 days and past performance in the programme. However, one of the most important criteria for prospective caterers is that “the location of the establishment to the relevant schools to be served, should allow meal service to be achieved within a maximum time frame of 45 minutes.” Listed among the 77 caterers paid is D’Coal Pot, which is owned by Daryan and Darryl Warner, sons of FIFA vice-president and UNC financier Jack Warner. For the period 2002 to 2003, D’Coal Pot was paid a total of $1,853,674.10 for providing 1,804 breakfasts and 500 lunches to schools in East Trinidad.