Couva North MP: Food cards for students too slow

Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial said managing her constituency under the threat of covid19 and the restrictions put in place by the government have been a challenge, but it must be done.

She told Newsday her greatest concern was getting meals to children who depended on the support of the school-feeding programme for meals.

Minister of Social Development Camille Robinson-Regis said families of each pupil in the national school-feeding programme would receive food cards valued at $510.

Ramdial said it has been extremely overwhelming and distribution of the food cards has been slow.

“The food cards are not coming as fast as we would like but we understand the bureaucracy attached to it. We get the cards in batches, sometimes it is five or six cards at a time.

“During the time of waiting we are bombarded by thousands of parents throughout the constituency about the food cards. In the interim we put together hampers from items donated by some members of corporate Couva.”

She said students from 17 schools in the constituency relied on the programme and noted that there had been several hiccups in the distribution process.

“Some students who were not formally registered for the school feeding programme have been showing up, but their names are not recorded.”

Ramdial said the food card distribution for the students could have been effectively done through the schools.

“Having to verify their (students) need takes time. The food card distribution should have been done by the respective schools and it would have happened faster.

“The principals would know more about the students in need and have more information than MPs would have.

“It was quite challenging to get lists of students from the schools and verifying it with the Ministry of Social Development.”

Ramdial said members of her constituency have also been seeking masks which are limited in stock. She said they anxiously await the distribution of masks promised by the government.