The Ministry of Education is exploring the possibility of introducing “fortified snack” for schoolchildren to enhance their intelligent quotient (IQ).
A Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Samuel Okudjeto-Ablakwa, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, said the “fortified snack” would be offered alongside the free meals given to schoolchildren under the national school feeding programme.
Studies
He said the initiative was informed by studies that indicated that Ghanaian schoolchildren were suffering from stunted growth due to poor nutrition.
“So we want to have a special snack that can really catapult them from where they are currently, to a different level which will meet our appreciation in terms of the nutrition needs of the schoolchildren,” he said.
Mr Okudjeto-Ablakwa said good nutrition had a direct bearing on the IQ of schoolchildren, “that is why the Ministry of Education is currently discussing this particular intervention”.
“We hope that ultimately, that will lead to growth in IQ and growth output in education so that we can compete favourably in the global environment,” he said.
IQ analysis
Making reference to what he described as the IQ analysis of countries, Mr Okudjeto-Ablakwa said Ghana was not doing too well, hovering between 71 and 74, whereas Asian countries were hovering between 104 and 110.
“This tells you that we are just around half of what they have and nutrition makes the difference from the analysis we have done at the Ministry of Education.
“We have a lot of support from His Excellency President John Mahama to step up and put this intervention forward,” he indicated.
Asked about the meaning of “fortified snack” and when the intervention would be rolled out, the deputy education minister said, “fortified snack” meant the snack would be fortified in nutrients.
“In terms of timelines, we are in the discussion stage but we are quite optimistic it will be sooner than later,” he said.
Mr Okudjeto-Ablakwa said the “fortified snack” would be a government-funded initiative, adding “We are looking at home-grown food”.
By Kofi Yeboah/Daily Graphic/Ghana
