ABSTRACT

 

This study examined the influence of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) on pupils’ academic performance in selected primary schools in Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the effect of the programme on pupils’ enrolment, attendance, and academic achievement. The study was guided by three objectives: to determine the level of pupils’ enrolment before and after the introduction of the school feeding programme, to assess its influence on pupils’ attendance, and to evaluate its impact on pupils’ academic performance.

 

A mixed-method research approach was adopted, employing a descriptive survey design to provide both quantitative and qualitative insights. The study sample consisted of key stakeholders in the education sector, including education officers, head teachers, classroom teachers, parents, and pupils selected from selected primary schools in Bwari Area Council. Sampling techniques such as stratified random sampling, simple random sampling, and purposive sampling were used to ensure representativeness and reliability of data. Data collection methods included questionnaires, interviews, and documentary analysis.

 

The findings of the study revealed that the School Feeding Programme has significantly contributed to increased enrolment, improved attendance rates, and enhanced academic performance among pupils in the selected primary schools. The provision of meals served as an incentive that encouraged school participation and improved concentration levels among pupils, thereby positively influencing learning outcomes. However, the study also identified several challenges affecting the effectiveness of the programme, including inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, insufficient teaching and learning materials, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and socio-economic factors such as poverty and parental attitudes toward education.

 

Based on these findings, the study recommends that the government, through relevant agencies such as the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), should strengthen the implementation of the School Feeding Programme by improving funding, ensuring consistent food supply, upgrading school infrastructure, and promoting community participation. Additionally, parents and other stakeholders should be actively involved in supporting the sustainability of the programme to enhance its long-term impact on pupils’ academic performance.

 

CHAPTER ONE 

 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

 

1.1       Introduction

The study assessed the influence of school feeding program on pupils’ enrolment, attendance, and academic performance in primary schools. This chapter focuses on the background to the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, scope and delimitation of the study, definitions of the key terms and organization of the study.

 

1.2       Background of the Problem

The Nigeria Development Vision 2025 sees education as critical to creating the mindset necessary for national development and competitive economy that are the driving forces for the realization of that vision. In order to create an innovative and sustainable education system, the vision finds it important to provide empowerment to the next generation who, ultimately, will determine the success or the failure of Nigeria in realizing that vision. Studies all over the world show that it is a difficult task trying to build a sound education system in a society in which its children face inadequate nutrition. For example, Mamuya (2004) asserts that most Nigerian schools that do not provide food are faced with absenteeism, intentional problems and early school dropouts. According to him, 50%-75% of pupils in different parts of Nigeria go to school without breakfast and they do not get any meal during the school hours.

 

The New Partnership on Africa’s Development (NEPAD) adopted the approach of the

United Nations Hunger Task Force (UNHTF) and focuses on the combination of School Feeding Program (SFP) and agriculture. The NEPAD was founded in 2002. The NEPAD secretariat has formulated a comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (AADP), which functions as a framework for the restoration of agriculture, growth, food security, and rural development in Africa. In this framework, there are various pillars and pillar three has a specific focus on increasing food supply and reducing hunger and its  objective includes reduction of malnutrition in school going children through diet supplementation via  complete and adequate meals in terms of calorie intake and production by small holder farms. NEPAD has formulated an indicator of improvement: The provision of basic school lunch is to help children from poor and vulnerable areas throughout the NEPAD member states (NEPAD, 2005).

 

As early as the 1930s, the United States and the United Kingdom utilized food for education (FFE) to improve children’s health (Gokah, 2008). These early programs took the form of school feeding programs (SFP), where participants were fed meals or snacks at school. This provision of food was seen as one among many strategies that would boost the learners` attendance, participation and performance. Boosting performance and attendance would mean building a learning society. Therefore, sustainable education system and development vision 2025 wants Nigeria to have a well-educated population and one that craves for learning and to have a competitive economy capable of producing sustainable growth and shared benefits (UNESCO, 2013).

 

Stories of pupils fainting at school due to hunger are many. Some children leave home early in the morning, sometimes as early as five in order to get to school on time. This is because they have to walk long distances to school. Because they leave home early, most of them do not take breakfast. Some do not take breakfast because there is nothing to take for breakfast at home (Navuri, 2013).

Among the poor families, there is often no enough food at home; most schools in developing countries, Nigeria inclusive, lack canteen or cafeteria services at school; therefore, schools meals are a good way to channel vital nourishment to poor children.

Having a full stomach also helps them to concentrate better on their lessons (WFP, 2012). FFE provides food to school children or their families in exchange for enrollment and attendance in school and directly relates to the first three Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education and promote gender quality and empower women by 2015 (Lawson, 2012).

 

In 1974, the Government of Nigeria launched an ambitious program of Universal Primary Education (UPE) to ensure that all children between the ages of 7 and 13 were enrolled in primary schools by 1977 (URT, 1974). The argument behind that move was essentially, as much as education was right to each and every citizen, a government that is committed to the development of an egalitarian socialist cannot desegregate and discriminate her people in the provision of education, especially at the basic level.

However, the school feeding program was not addressed. 

 

As far as Nigeria is concerned, the government has been struggling to provide education since it recognizes its importance in promoting development in the country (URT, 1995). The education system has undergone a considerable transformation since the attainment of independence in 1961. Primary education is widely seen as basic human right that promotes socio-economic development.

 

School feeding program was also emphasized in different areas, according to Brief (2010), parents agreed to contribute to a school feeding program and set up a committee for tackling school truancy. Community members became more proactive in observing and reporting children out of school during the school day. Within school, teachers made efforts to make their teaching more engaging and classrooms more interesting. The use of corporal punishment was shortened and a greater emphasis placed on academic

performance, including regular testing.

 

A survey conducted in 2001 in schools by in Bwari Area Council showed that many pupils complained of missing such an opportunity of having school meals forcing them to go home for lunch and thereby wasting valuable study time on the way.

 

1.3       Statement of the Problem

School Feeding Program (SFP) is an organized program that aims at alleviating hunger while supporting education, health and community development (WFP, 2007). SFPs provide meals or snacks to be eaten during school hours or distributed as dry take home food rations to pupils at the end of each day, month or school term. According to WFP (2004), SFPs are implemented with the aims of improving nutritional status, alleviating short-term hunger, improving school attendance and class concentration and improving household food security.

 

SFP provides an important new opportunity to assist poor families and to feed hungry children. The program helps to combat hunger and support nutrition to children. Various studies have examined the effectiveness and benefits of school feeding program.

Bundy et al.,(2009) suggest that appropriately designed school feeding programs increase access to educate and improve children’s health and nutrition, especially when integrated into comprehension school health and nutrition programs. Similarly Jomaa et al.,(2011) reveal relatively consistent positive effective effects of school feeding on energy intake, micronutrient status, school enrolment, and attendance of children participating in school feeding programs compared to non -participants. However, the contribution of school feeding programs to improving academic performance has not been formerly done in Bwari Area Council; unlike the remarked district of central and northern parts of Nigeria hence the need for this study.

 

1.4       Research Objectives

Objectives of the study are stated as general objective and specific objectives as follows:

 

1.4.1    General objective

The overall objective of this study is to investigate the contribution of school feeding program in improving the pupils’ enrolment, attendance and academic performance in primary schools in Bwari Area Council.

 

1.4.2 The Specific objectives of the study are:

(i)      To examine the influence of SFP on pupils’ enrolment before and after the commencement of the program.

(ii)     To assess the influence of SFP on pupils’ attendance.

(iii)   To determine the influence of SFP on pupils’ academic performance.

 

1.5 Research Questions

On the basis of the specific objectives of the study, the following are research questions

(i)     What is the influence of SFP on pupils’ enrolment before and after the commencement of the program?

(ii)   What is the influence of SFP on pupil’s attendance?

(iii) What is the influence of SFP on pupils’ academic performance?

 

1.6      Significance of the Study

The study is useful in increasing children cognitive development through physiological change or full participation in learning experiences, reduce the school dropout rate, truancy and reduce malnutrition to school children. In addition, the study will help all education stakeholders, including:- government officials, education administrators, district councils, school owners and managers, parents and guardians to realize the importance of meals to pupils hence to include feeding programs in the provision of education to children.

 

1.7      Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The study had some delimitations in which to some extent hindered the making of generalizations of the results of this study. Firstly, some respondents especially pupils were too young to express themselves eloquently; hence affected the results in one way or another. Secondly, omitting of some pupils especially standard VII as they were busy preparing for their examinations might have blocked the richness of data since the maturity of omitted pupils could add useful information to the study. 

 

1.8       Definitions of Key Terms

The definitions of key terms are in terms of what they have been using in the study as follows:-

School Feeding Programs-has been defined by World Bank as a targeted social safety net that provides both educational and health benefits to the most vulnerable children, thereby increasing enrollment rates, reducing truancy, improving food security at the household level. Beyond improvements in access to food, school feeding programs also have a positive impact on nutritional status, gender equity, and educational status, each of which contributes to improving the overall levels of country and human development (WFP, 2014).

 

Child-is defined as a young person aged below 18 years. This definition is adopted from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by UNESCO (1994).

 

Attendance - The act of being present at a place, for example at school. Or a frequency which a person is present, example a pupil’s availability in classroom for a long period of time.

 

Enrolment –To register or enter the pupils in admission book for the first entry in grade one as a final perfect copy of an official document.

 

Influence – The capacity to have an effect on character, development or behavior of someone or something or the effect itself. These effects can be positive or negative, long or short term, direct or indirect and intended or unintended from the provision of the School Feeding Programs according to the study.

 

1.9 Conceptual Framework

Kombo and Tromp (2006) defined a conceptual framework as a set of broad ideas and principles taken from relevant fields of enquiry and used to structure a subsequent presentation. The study adopted a model of relationship between school feeding program (SFP) and potential outcomes and impact on school children by Grantham et al., (1998) and Jacoby et al., (1994) as its conceptual framework, which is shown in Figure 2.2