School Feeding: Ensure FG gets value for its money, group urges parents

From Segun Showunmi, Ibadan

Parents has been urged to ensure Federal government gets value for the money spent on the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), by ensuring that their ward attend school and get the benefit of the NHGSFP.

Parents were also advised to contribute to monitoring of the programme in school across the nation by ensuring vendors provide food as and when due.

Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Monitoring Lead of the feeding program in Oyo State, Mr. Marcus Williams noted that leveraging on the deworming program and good initiative of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affiars would boost performance and enhance the well-being of children when school is in full swing as well as encourage enrollment of children in schools.

According to him, the deworming is done in conjunction with relevant stakeholders and Ministry of Health provides deworming tablets for children in public schools.

He maintained that the program is targeted at children in schools and to support their feeding during school hours.

“Children grow well not only physically, but also, psychologically when you feed them well and deworm them.”

“The feeding Programme will encouraged the children to come to school and as well as boost their performance because they don’t need to worry about where the next meal is coming.

“The program has recorded increase in the uptake of educational services by children of primary school age especially in public schools.”

“This is because children benefiting share the news by word of mouth that they are sure of a meal per day.”

“It also promoted punctuality because none of the children want to miss out on the food, it has helped children to stay in school (retention ).

“State government should play it’s role in the implementation of the program by taking up the responsibility for primary 4-6 and ensure the right vendors are engaged.”