“My School Feeding Programme Boosts Pupils’ Retention, Enrollment” Says Administrator

The Administrator of Gateway Model Schools, Ilo-Ijesha, Osun State, Oluwayemisi Olanrewaju has disclosed that her school feeding programme has brought about an increase in the enrolment of Students.

Yemisi who disclosed this on Monday while fielding questions from journalists at a debate organised to mark the 2019 Children’s Day celebration added that the feeding programme had also enhanced the rate of retention of pupils in the school.

She noted that her resolve to key into the Osun State home-grown school feeding under the State’s Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O’MEALS) was informed by the value she saw it added to public schools in the State adding that “three months into the commencement of the programme, my primary school recorded a marginal increase in the enrolment of pupils.

She further explained that other major benefits of the programme was the reduction in absenteeism as the pupils often look forward to a hot meal and that the development had led to an improvement in the health status and academic performance of the pupils.

“I provide access to education for impoverished children in my community and it has been difficult to keep them in School. The rate of absenteeism was high as most children are from parents who are not educated and as such have little or no appreciation for education. So they prefer their wards to help on their farms, hawk wears or even stay at home and do the chores. But, after I commenced the feeding programme, the story changed. The quest for this daily nutritious meal was a driver for them to attend school and this raised school retention”.

“Equally, good nutrition, through the school feeding programme promotes the health of our pupils, which in turn has an indirect effect on their learning as it assists pupils to concentrate more in class. There was a point in time when pupils were fainting in the school as a result of hunger, but that is history now. The programme has also ensured that students remain in school because they always look up toward the break time when they will eat and some of them no longer want to be absent from school because they don’t want to miss the meals”.

Continuing, the administrator who spoke on the challenges facing the sustainability of the feeding programme noted that “the programme needs all the support it could get considering its enormous benefits. Finance has been a major issue because, over the years, it has been self-sponsored except for limited support from family and friends and what is critical at this moment is its sustainability”.

“We equally need finance to upgrade the school’s infrastructure and learning materials. We are in dire need of a structure for our senior secondary school so our students can graduate with a secondary school leaving certificates. We aren’t where we desire yet but we do not rest on our oars as we are aware that our contribution has brought about improved impact in our community”, Yemisi added.