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School Feeding And Academic Performance Of Primary School Pupils
[A CASE STUDY OF OBIO AKPOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVER STATE]
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
School feeding
is simply the provision of food to children through schools. According
to Save the Children (2007), different countries have one or a
combination of the two feeding modalities in place for various
objectives. However, they can be grouped into two broad categories:
in-school meals and take-home rations where families are given food if
their children attend school. Historically, in-school meals have been
the most popular modality of school feeding interventions. The school
feeding can be in turn grouped into two common categories: programme
that provides meals and programme that provides high-energy biscuits or
snacks to generate greater impacts on school enrolment, retention rates,
and reduce gender or social gaps (Afridi, 2007). Afridi, (2007)
contended that there are `indications of a significant swing in thinking
about school feeding and many elements of this new thinking are being
promoted keenly under the rubric of “home grown school feedingâ€.
Each
year, World Food Program provides millions of school children with food
in the world as an incentive to lure children to school and maintain
their attendance. The programme targets areas where enrolment ratios are
lowest and which can have greatest effect towards improving education
standards of the children (WFP, 1996). In 2001, WFP launched a global
campaign to expand access to education for millions of children in the
world. By then, there were 66 million school children attending school
hungry in the world (World Food Program, 2009). According to Ahmed
(2004), school meals increased pupils’ participation in school. Ahmed
found that school feeding increased pupils’ enrolment, reduced dropout
rate, increased attendance and improved performance in participating 2
schools as compared to their counterparts where no feeding programs were
available.
School feeding programs constitute critical interventions
that have been introduced in many developed and developing countries of
the world to address the issue of poverty, stimulate school enrolment
and enhance pupils’ performance. In developing countries, almost
60million children go to school hungry every day and about 40 percent of
them are from Africa. Providing school meals is therefore vital in
nourishing children. Parents are motivated to send their children to
school instead of keeping them at home to work or care for siblings
(Ahmed 2004).The introduction of the school feeding is traced to the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiative and several conferences
held thereafter by African leaders which aimed to tackle issues, such as
peace, security, good economic, political and corporate governance and
to make the continent an attractive destination for foreign investment.
Some of these developments include the ‘New Partnership for African
Development’ which according to the blueprint is a pledge by African
leaders, based on common vision and a firm and shared conviction, to
eradicate poverty and to place their countries on the path of
sustainable growth and development and, at the same time, to participate
actively in the world economy and politics. Also, the ‘Comprehensive
African Agriculture Development Program and the ‘Millennium Hunger Task
Force’ amongst others were initiatives which were designed to link
school feeding to agricultural development through the purchase and use
of locally produced food (Bundy, Burbano, Grosh, Jukes, & Drakes,
2009).
Nigeria happened to be one of twelve (12) pilot countries
invited to implement the programme. So far, Nigeria, Cote d’ivore,
Ghana, Kenya and Mali commenced the implementation of the school feeding
programme. As a result, the Federal Government came up with the
Universal Basic Education Act in 2004, which provided the enabling
legislative backing for the execution of the Home Grown School Feeding
and Health Program. Towards the realization of the objectives of the
Universal Basic Education program and the central role of nutrition, the
Federal Ministry of Education launched the Home Grown School Feeding
and Health Program in 2005. The overall goal of the School Feeding
Program in Nigeria is to reduce hunger and malnutrition among school
children and enhance the achievement of Universal Basic Education.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study was carried out to examine school feeding and academic performance of primary school pupils in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Specifically, the study determined the influence of school feeding program on attendance and academic performance of students of students, examined the effect of school feeding program on pupil’s enrolment and academic performance in primary schools and examined the challenges of Nigeria school feeding program and proffer solution The ... Continue reading---
