School feeding programme and nutrition 

Jan 21, 2025 Editorial, News

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Editorial…

Kaieteur News- Government, last week, announced that $5.5 billion has been allocated to fund the National School Feeding Programme, which it said will further promote health and nutrition and boost school attendance.

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, said with a focus on food security, this allocation will be utilised to provide nutritious meals to scores of students across Guyana, particularly in the hinterland and remote areas. We have taken note of the Minister’s statement that the programme is geared at promoting health and nutrition and fervently hope that meals being provided are of the highest quality. It had long been established that the students who are properly nourished are able to sustain higher levels of concentration during school hours and as such are better able to maximise learning.

According to the World Bank, the primary objective of a school feeding programme is to provide meals (breakfast, lunch, snack, milk…) to alleviate short-term hunger, increase attention span, facilitate learning and obviate the need for children to leave school to find food. In-school meals also act as an incentive to increase school attendance. In addition to that, micronutrient fortification and deworming could be included in the school meal programme as they are cost-effective interventions.

The Bank said school meals help families support their children’s education while protecting their food security. They help break the inter-generational cycle of hunger and poverty that affects vulnerable families and communities. However, while safety net programmes must reach the poor to be effective, school feeding programmes face challenges in reaching the poorest. The main reason is that enrolment is always lowest among the poorest and most vulnerable communities. It should be noted that in-school meals are usually served to all children in the school including non-needy children, to avoid issues of logistics, jealousies, or stigma that might arise if only some children are fed.

In Guyana, from as early as in the days of colonial rule, there was the practice of milk and biscuit distribution, aimed at supplementing the nutrition of the school population. This practice continues despite the billions being pumped into the programme, and can hardly be considered a nutritious meal. The importance of good nutrition and its relationship to improved levels of attention in the classroom cannot be overemphasized.

The school feeding programme has always been of great help to hinterland schools. Given that in some of these schools children sometimes have to walk or paddle miles to get to school  – a task that would deplete their energy reserves, it was a most welcome development when this feeding programme was introduced.

While prices have gone through the roof and many parents are finding it difficult to make ends meet, we believe that, by and large, our parents in Guyana have always tried to provide for their children. We believe also that the most important issue regarding the school feeding programme is the type of food that is provided. Sodas, snack foods and fast foods are increasingly finding their way into the lunch kits of our children. We hope that this is not the case with the National School Feeding Programme. These may ease hunger, but do not ensure either sustained energy levels or proper nutrition. As such, many children are being short-changed from within their own homes when they leave for school. It is the duty of every parent to ensure that their children receive a balanced and full meal before leaving for school. It is also the responsibility of parents to ensure that lunch kits contain nutritious meals, which would allow the child or children to make the most of his/her day.

With increased demands on their time however, many parents today are neglecting to pay attention to this important aspect of their child’s development, preferring in some instances to give their child money to purchase whatever that child wishes, without any regard for the need to ensure that the child gets sound nutrition. If education requires a cooperative effort by all stakeholders, then it is necessary that parents also play a role in ensuring that their children can get the most of the hours they spend in the classroom.

Ensuring that our children eat right, beginning at home, is one way in which parents can contribute towards the improvement in educational returns. We urge every parent to play their part in the education of their children. The schools and government must perform their role, and must be held to high standards, otherwise there will be no improvements. But parents must also play their part in guaranteeing the nutrition and health of their children.

(School feeding programme and nutrition )

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• across Guyana, health and nutrition, nutritious meals, school population., short-term hunger

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