A recent survey of the National School Feeding Programme in 27 schools throughout the country has indicated that the programme has generated an improvement in students’ attendance since its re-introduction.
The Ministry of Education had earlier this year rolled out an $800M school feeding programme geared to improve students’ attendance and performance.
This initiative currently benefits more than 51,000 learners at the nursery level and Grade Two at the primary level in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Ten and in Georgetown.
According to the report, the average number of students who attended each school examined before and after the commencement of the school feeding programme was 73 and 76.7 respectively, and six of the eight regions surveyed showed an improvement in students’ attendance.
An impact of the school feeding programme on students’ performance could not have been conducted since a proper assessment will have to be done after a longer period of the programme.
Generally, headteachers and teachers are of the view that the programme was a good initiative, as it provides much assistance to single parents and low income families who could not afford snacks every day.
The report also indicated that they would like the programme to be extended to other grades and needy children.
During the implementation of the initiative, several challenges were encountered and the Ministry of Education has undertaken steps to prevent any recurrence.
These include closer monitoring of headteachers in the execution of the programme and timely distribution of the juice and biscuits to ensure that pupils receive snacks every day of the year.
The suppliers, Banks DIH and the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), have assured the Ministry of Education that juice and biscuits will be available for the next school year.
The Ministry will also train headteachers and regional officials on the preparation of school feeding records and routine visits will be done at schools and depots to ensure supplies are distributed in a timely manner.
In addition, cupboards will be provided for storage and additional funds will be allocated for transportation to aid the distribution process.
The Ministry operates two similar programmes which have also been successful in enhancing students’ attendance. One is the hot meals programme under the Fast Track Initiative. This programme feeds some 83 Primary Schools in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
This initiative, Education Minister Shaik Baksh says, costs millions of dollars annually and it is expected to include another 29 schools this year.
The other initiative is a $30M school snack programme, where peanut butter, cassava bread and fruit juice, supplied by the Society for Sustainable Operational Strategies (SSOS), a non-governmental organisation, are distributed to students in Region Nine.
The minister pointed out that 26 more schools are expected to be added to that programme this year.
He disclosed that this year, an estimated $1.2B will be spent on the school feeding programmes which also contribute to employment generation and building of sustainable communities.
These school feeding programmes, along with the school uniform and text books initiatives, are part of a range of interventions initiated by the government in its quest to bolster students’ attendance and performance in school.