By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Programme Manager, National Homegrown School Feeding Scheme in Anambra State, Mrs Eriken Uzoamaka, has expressed regret that pupils in classes One to Three across public primary schools in the state were rejecting promotion to senior classes because of food.

Uzoamaka explained that the rejection was as a result of the pupils delight on the kind of food they were served which usually surpass that of pupils in classes 4 to 6.

According to her, even those that agree to be promoted, usually come to their junior class (Primary 3), especially on Wednesdays, to struggle for food with others.

Speaking in Awka after a two-day capacity building workshop on Enhancing Social Protection Programme in Nigeria, organised by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Uzoamaka said that efforts were on ground to solve the challenge.

She added: “We serve rich food to pupils in classes 1 to 3 as captured in the national homegrown 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 with sweet potatoes) that day.

“We are appealing to Anambra State government to support the programme by feeding pupils from primary 4 to 6 and probably include feeding of pre-primary school pupils to curb the challenges and increase more numbers of pupils in public schools.

“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 national 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.”

While listing other challenges facing the programme in Anambra State to include death of 10 cooks and the high cost of foodstuff in the market, the Programme Manager noted that the situation has made it impossible for affected schools to benefit because new cooks were yet to be employed by the federal government.

“The cooks are really complaining and the high cost of food items is making it difficult for them to give us adequate meal per child. This development has made the Federal Government agree to increase the meal price from N70 to N100, but it is yet to be implemented,” she said.

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