According to reports, several students in Anambra State’s public elementary schools apparently declined their earned promotion to senior classes in order to be eligible for the federal government’s school food program.
This was announced in Awka on Thursday by Mrs. Eriken Uzoamaka, the program manager for the National Homegrown School Feeding Scheme in Anambra State.
The major target audience for the feeding program is students in grades one through three. According to Mrs. Eriken’s research, some students refuse to go on to primary four because they want to stay in classes where they have access to food.
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Eriken who spoke during a two-day capacity-building workshop on Enhancing Social Protection Programme in Nigeria, a programme organised by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), said the challenge would be resolved once the menu of the higher classes are improved.
“We serve rich food to pupils in classes 1 to 3 as captured in the national home-grown school feeding scheme. That is why even those that agree to be promoted, usually come to their junior class (primary 3) especially on Wednesdays to struggle for food with others. We serve beans and plantains (or sweet potatoes) that day.
“We are appealing to the Anambra State government to support the programme by feeding pupils from primary 4 to six, and probably include feeding of preprimary school pupils to curb the challenges and increase more numbers of pupils in public schools,” she added.
Eriken explained that the programme in Anambra State has been facing some challenges including a hike in prices of commodities, and the death of 10 cooks in the programme, since its inception in 2016.
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“Since the inception of the programme in 2016, about 10 cooks have died and it is affecting the programme in some schools. It is only the nation that can recruit and replace them, we have no right to replace them but we have written to inform the national body but they are yet to be replaced.
“Another challenge is the high cost of food items in the country, it is affecting the programme and the quality of food given to the children. The cooks are really complaining and the high cost of food items is making it difficult for them to give us adequate meals per child.
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