Unveiling The Abia Free School Meal Initiative

0 67

Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done”. — Proverbs 19:17.

Abia joined the league of states that have adopted the free school meal initiative last Friday when it inaugurated the pilot phase of the project at a grand ceremony at Amapu Ntigha Community Primary School,Isiala Ngwa Local Government Area of the state. The launch of the laudable initiative of the wife of the Governor, Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu was preceded by the launch of the ” Food Warehouse” another laudable initiative of Deaconess Ikpeazu at Government House, Umuahia.  The warehouse will house the donations of the free school meal initiative and would be built in other senatorial districts of the state.

The project is operated by the Abia State Primary Schools Lunch Programme (APSLUP),  which is a private/ public scheme supported by farmers and partners and the rationale of this programme is drawn from the World Health Organisation’s standard which states that the average daily calorie requirement for boys and girls are 2500 calories. The programme is expected to provide 1080 calories at each meal which forms 43.2 percent and constitutes nearly half of the average daily calorie requirement. Rice beans and egg are components of the meal that will be served in schools and nutritional requirements for a growing child such as vitamin A, protein and iron are available in these components.

The Abia State model is timely  because free school meal is the in thing and states striving to cut down the rate of out- of school- children and boost the enrollment rate. This project, which will ensure the feeding of pupils in 170 primary schools in the state three times a week, targets the poorest of the poor and children from indigent homes. The thrust of the project is to encourage these indigent children to remain in school.

Its mission is anchored on promoting midday meals in all public primary schools in the state and enhance the implementation of the Child’s Right Act, which was domesticated by the Abia State House of Assembly recently. Also, the initiative will meet the basic nutritional needs of children and expand their opportunity to reach their full potential , and enhance the academic performance of children.

Though there have been opposing arguments against the project which proponents tend to justify with the current economic situation of the country, the benefits of this initiative are multifarious.The initiative will promote the nutrition of Abia children; achieve high academic performance in these children; and boost the agricultural economy of the state and thereby creating employment opportunities.

It will be recalled that every meal component of the initiative ( water, beans, eggs, and rice) would be sourced locally. When the initiative comes on full stream, 136,258 pupils are expected top be fed weekly. The quantity of fresh eggs expected to be bought from farmers in Abia State is 408,774, and 1,022 of 100kg bag ofada rice would be bought from local farmers every week, while 255 of 150kg bag of beans would be bought weekly from the local farmers.

A critical nutritional analysis of one of the components of the meal, Brown Rice, which is popular called “Bende Rice”reveals that the soluble fibre in brown rice controls blood sugar and diabetes, which help to slow down the release of glucose into the blood. Other nutritional values of brown rice are protection of the body against colon cancer because of its high fibre content and the presence of selenium; prevention of heart attack and stroke; reduction of the severity of asthma and frequency of migraine; and healing of candida yeast infections because of its high fibre which can help sensitive digestive systems heal from an overgrowth of candida organisms.

Free school meal cannot be relegated to the background,especially in the face of a 2013 UNESCO report which approximates 10.5 million kids out of school, with Nigeria dominating 12 other countries with which it accounts for 47 percent of the world out-of- school population.

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State , while presenting the year 2016 budget proposal to the Lagos State House of Assembly, said that the government’s “A-Meal-a-Day” programme in the state’s Public Primary schools would commence in 2016.Ambode, driving home the importance of feeding school children explained: “This programme promises not only to improve the daily nutrition of our children. “It will also create an economy of its own, with opportunities for job creation, income generation, poverty alleviation, and so on”.

Scholars have opined that “Malnutrition disorders affect more than 42% of school children in Nigeria and are responsible for 49% absenteeism of primary school age children. Abia Free school meal project conforms with Article 24 (2c) of Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stipulates that” States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures: (c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary health care, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution. It tends to achieve one of the targets of the millennium Development Goal , which is to”ensure that children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. To reduce child mortality”.

It will be recalled that in United Kingdom in 1904, the Interdepartmental Committee on Physical Deterioration found so many working class families to be malnourished, that it gave advice on better nutrition for families. By 1906 it was decided that children from the poorest families should be allowed free school meals. The School Meals Act 1906 gave local councils power to provide free school meals.

The idea for the free school meals was put forward by William Wilson as a Private Member’s Bill because many children were turning up to school hungry and were often unable to focus on their education as lack of food made them lethargic and unwell.

Margaret Macmillan, an educationalist who was passionate about improving the welfare and education of children was moved to encouraged others to see children as the nations future who needed to be nurtured, in order to be educated, in order to benefit society. The results recorded by the project were the school meals provided rose from 3 million in 1906 to 9 million in 1910 and 14 million in 1914.Local authorities were eventually given a grant of 50% from the treasury.

On this note, well- meaning Abians should not hesitate to heed to the call of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu to embrace this laudable project.

Ukegbu, a public policy analyst, writes from Umuahia, Abia State.

Leave a Reply