NATIONAL HOME GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (NHCSFP) AND ITS IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT GENERATION IN NIGERIA ( A CASE STUDY OF KASTINA STATE)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Study Background
The high rates of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in developing nations make it difficult for children to fully participate in primary school, motivating international organizations, regional governments, national governments, and non-governmental organizations to fund school feeding programs. Millions of African children go to bed hungry and are frequently involved in labor activities, resulting in only a few years of education for these vulnerable children as compared to children in advanced countries.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to half of the world’s 59 million unschooled children. According to WFP Chief of Staff James Harvey, “girls are especially affected.” In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 17 million children are not in school, and 9.3 million may never attend a classroom.
African political leaders have issued a clarion call to confront the severe threat posed by poverty, hunger, and malnutrition among the continent’s children. And the most effective approach to fight these threats is through school feeding programs.
One of the Buhari administration’s social safety net programs is the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), which is handled by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development (FMHADMSD). It is part of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s Nation Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which was inaugurated in Abuja in 2016.
The major purpose of the NHGSFP is to provide a healthy, balanced lunch to 5.5 million pupils in public primary schools every school day. Furthermore, the program establishes a value chain by employing chefs and ensuring a steady income for small-scale farmers, leading in a positive ripple effect on the rural economy.
The ultimate goal of the Buhari administration’s school feeding program is to increase enrolment rates in Nigeria by decreasing the number of out-of-school children while also treating early childhood malnutrition.
The NHGSFP was designed to serve 5.5 million primary school students; however, it presently serves approximately 9 million students through 54,952 public primary schools in 35 states. Each child receives one prepared meal per day. On average, a chef (also known as a “food seller”) prepares meals for roughly 50 students. To meet the nutritional requirements of the meal, consolidated farmer groups spend 40% of the program’s food budget on protein (poultry, chicken, and eggs), which is obtained through regional distribution centers.
The remaining 60% is allocated to non-perishable items such as vegetables and fruit. The NHGSFP has great socioeconomic development potential and should be strengthened, expanded, and maintained across the country. The initiative’s purpose is to increase enrolment by removing out-of-school children off the streets. It provides chefs with work and long-term earnings for farmers who engage in the program.
1.1 Problem statement
The launch of the School Feeding Programme (SFP) in Nigeria was primarily intended to increase students’ enrolment and retention rates in schools. The initiative focuses on arid and semi-arid rural and urban areas. The program was built around the aims of universalizing basic schooling and eliminating gender disparities in education by 2015, which are two of the eight millennium development goals adopted at the United Nations summit in 2000. The initiative also created job possibilities because workers were paid to prepare the meals.
Olubayo (2015) investigated the factors impacting the execution of the School Feeding Programme in Nigerian public primary schools. The study findings revealed a lack of managerial skill, inadequate planning, funding, and accountability in the use of allotted monies.
According to Olubayo (2015), managerial competency influences the planning process throughout the execution of the School Feeding Programme. Lack of financial investment plans and inadequate budget adherence also contributed to the difficulties encountered during the implementation of the School Feeding Programme. He also mentioned that the lack of monitoring and evaluation procedures, as well as community participation, influenced the School Feeding Programme’s implementation.
These are the difficulties confronting Nigeria’s School Feeding Programme. The study’s findings found that poor program management, funding, and competency of program managers, a lack of political will, community participation, and institutional capability all influenced the School Feeding Programme’s implementation.
Munuhe (2014) went on to say that bad management was caused by poor planning, poor coordination, and a lack of control over program implementation. He also stated that mismanagement of funds hampered the program’s successful implementation. The lack of stakeholder involvement is ascribed to difficulties encountered during program execution.
1.2 Study Objective
The following are the study’s objectives:
To investigate the economic benefits of NHGSFP.
To determine whether the NHGSFP has a negative impact on job creation.
To investigate the economic impact of NHGSFP.
1.3 Research problem
This study is guided by the following research question:
What are the economic advantages of NHGSFP?
Is the NHGSFP having a detrimental impact on job creation?
What is the economic impact of the NHGSFP in Nigeria?
1.4 Importance of Research
This research will be useful to the government in order to sustain the National Home Growing School Feeding Program and create more job opportunities.
This study will add to the current literature on this study domain and will also serve as a reference resource for academics, researchers, and students who may want to do future research on this issue or a comparable area.
1.5 Field of research
The purpose of this research is to look into the impact of a national home growing school feeding program on job creation. The study will specifically examine the economic value of NHGSFP, if NHGSFP has a negative influence on job creation, and the impact of NHGSFP on the economy. The research is limited to the state of Kastina. Participants for this study will be recruited from teachers at various elementary schools in Kastina state.
1.6 Study Limitations
The researchers faced financial constraints, insufficient materials, and a time constraint over the course of the investigation.
1.7 Term Definitions
Employment is a connection between two parties, usually based on a contract, in which one side is the employer and the other is the employee. The employer might be a business, for-profit or not-for-profit organization, co-operative, or other entity.
The National Home Grown School Food Programme (NHGSFP) is a government-led N70 per day school feeding initiative that aims to improve the health and educational outcomes of public primary school students.
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NATIONAL HOME GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (NHCSFP) AND ITS IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT GENERATION IN NIGERIA ( A CASE STUDY OF KASTINA STATE)