Kaduna State government has announced that the free feeding of all public primary school pupils will begin from January 17, 2016.
Shehu Usman Adamu, commissioner of education, science and technology, disclosed this weekend.
“As you are aware, the 2016 budget makes ample provision for this government’s School Feeding Programme. This intervention in improving the nutrition of our young pupils commences this term; from the very first day that school resumes. This intervention reinforces our thrust to expand access to education.
“Therefore, the school feeding programme will be formally launched when pupils in government-owned primary schools in Kaduna State resume on Monday, 17 January 2016. This will afford the primary school pupils 11 weeks of tuition, with no loss of academic time. However, secondary schools across the state will resume as scheduled.
“Academic activities in secondary schools will commence on Monday, 11 January 2016, while boarders are expected to return to school by 10 January 2016.
“I am delighted to inform you that the vendors that will serve meals in every primary school have been recruited, and the daily menu has been set. The vendors in each of the 255 wards have been organised into cooperative societies. School-based management committees, comprising of parents and notable community figures, have also been sensitised to support, monitor and report on the performance of the programme in each of our schools.
“The PTAs and the SBMCs of each primary school will also meet their respective vendors to jointly review the procedures and modalities for effective service delivery.
“The lessons learnt during the dry-run will be swiftly applied. And we shall strictly monitor the programme to ensure that any bottlenecks that emerge in the initial stages are resolved. No one should doubt our resolve to deliver this promise to our pupils and their parents.
“The programme is designed to boost the economy at the grassroots by involving people at the community level as the vendors. It will also expand the market for our farmers, even as it brings more of our people into the formal economy,” Adamu said.
