THE IMPACT OF THE NATIONAL HOME GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (NHGSFP) ON SCHOOL DROP-OUT IN KATSINA STATE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND
School feeding programs are essential initiatives that have been adopted in many developed and developing countries around the world to reduce poverty, increase enrolment in schools, and enhance student performance. Every day, about 60 million children in poor countries go to school hungry, with Africa accounting for nearly 40 percent of them.
As a result, providing school meals is essential for nourishing pupils. Parents are urged to send their children to school instead of keeping them at home to work or care for siblings (Akanbi, 2013). School feeding dates back to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiative and subsequent African leaders’ conferences aimed at addressing issues such as peace, security, good economic, political, and corporate governance, and making the continent an appealing destination for foreign investment.
According to the blueprint, the ‘New Partnership for African Development’ is a vow by African leaders to eradicate poverty and set their countries on a path of sustainable growth and development while also engaging effectively in the global economy and politics.
The ‘Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme’ and the ‘Millennium Hunger Task Force,’ among other initiatives, were established to link school meals to agricultural development through the purchase and consumption of locally produced food (Bundy et al., 2009).
Nigeria was chosen as one of twelve (12) pilot countries to carry out the initiative. Among the nations that have begun implementing the school feeding program are Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Mali. As a result, the Federal Government passed the Universal Basic Education Act in 2004, providing the legal framework for the Home Grown School Feeding and Health Program to be implemented.
In order to meet the goals of the Universal Basic Education program and to emphasize the importance of nutrition, the Federal Ministry of Education established the Home Grown School Feeding and Health Program in 2005. Nigeria’s School Feeding Program’s ultimate goal is to eliminate hunger and malnutrition among pupils while simultaneously enhancing Universal Basic Education achievement.
Kastina was chosen as one of twelve (12) states to participate in the program’s gradual experimental deployment. Despite the creation of the Home Grown School Feeding and Health Program, it received little attention until November 2010, when the State’s leadership changed. Following that, the new administration, led by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, convened an education summit, which Professor Moses Yinka presided over.
The summit’s purpose was to critically assess and give practical answers to obstacles inhibiting education growth and advancement in the state. At the Summit’s conclusion, recommendations were made to reorient education in Kastina State, including reform of the School Feeding Program. Following that, the previous school feeding program was thoroughly investigated. The program was renamed and repackaged as “Kastina Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme – K’meals.” On April 30, 2012, it was first implemented in the state, with kids in Grades 1-3 of the state’s public primary schools getting one meal every day (Ministry of Education,2014).
Although much has been published about the School Feeding Program’s benefits to students, considerably less has been written about the program’s impact on lowering school dropouts. As a result, the purpose of this study is to bridge the gap by assessing the School Feeding Program as it is implemented in Kastina, Kastina State, Nigeria’s public elementary schools.
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
Food has been discovered as a tool that can help primary school pupils study more effectively. Because education is an important component of global economic development, effective ways for delivering education to kids should be carefully devised, particularly in elementary schools, which lay the groundwork for global learning. The county has a poor rate of retention.
The enrollment rate was high, but the completion rate was quite low (Ministry of Education 2007). The county is one of those with feeding programs, but it did not have a good reputation for learning effectiveness or retention; rather, learning was generally poor.
Many empirical studies show that school feeding programs help pupils stay in school and reduce dropout rates in elementary schools in many impoverished countries (Lepheane et al., 2011). According to statistics, many children, particularly those from low-income families, skip school because they cannot afford meals and other vital school supplies. This has created tremendous concern among county officials, forcing the establishment of a nationwide homegrown school food program.
1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
The study’s overarching purpose is to:
Examine the impact of a national home-grown school food program on reducing school dropouts in Kastina state.
Examine whether there is a link between the national homegrown school feeding program and student retention in Kastina state.
iii. Investigate schoolchildren’s attitudes toward the national home-grown school meal program in Kastina state.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
The following research questions guide the study’s objective:
What effect has the national domestic school feeding program had on reducing school dropouts in Kastina state?
Is there a link between the national homegrown school feeding program and student retention in Kastina state?
iii. How do schoolchildren in Kastina state feel about the national home-grown school meal program?
1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
The overarching purpose of this research is to look into the role of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in reducing school drop-out rates in Katsina State.
The study’s goal is to find out how the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) keeps students in school.
This study will add to the current body of knowledge in this field and will also serve as a resource for academics, researchers, and students who may want to conduct future research on this or a similar topic.
1.6 STUDY OBJECTIVES
The study focused on the influence of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in reducing school dropout rates in Katsina State. This study is restricted to a few primary schools in Katsina State.
1.7 STUDY LIMITATIONS
The study was constrained by a short time frame, a limited budget, and the inability to cover all schools throughout Kastina state.
1.8 TERM DEFINITION
NHGSFP (National Home Grown School Feeding Program): The National Home Grown School Food Programme (NHGSFP) is a N70 per day school feeding program led by the government that aims to improve the health and educational outcomes of public primary school students.
Dropping out of high school, college, or university involves leaving for practical reasons, such as necessity, inability, or dissatisfaction with the system from which the individual departs.
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THE IMPACT OF THE NATIONAL HOME GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (NHGSFP) ON SCHOOL DROP-OUT IN KATSINA STATE