CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY
School feeding programs constitute critical interventions that have been introduced in many developed and developing countries of the world to address the issue of poverty, stimulate school enrollment and enhance pupils’ performance. In developing countries, about 60million School children go to school without food daily and about 40 percent of them are from Africa. Availability of school meals is therefore important in nourishing children. Parents are encouraged to send their children to school and not keeping them at home to do some work or care for siblings (Akanbi, 2013).The invention of the school feeding is traced to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiative and several conferences held thereafter by African leaders with the purpose of tackling issues, such as peace, security, good economic, political and corporate governance and to ensure the continent becomes an attractive location for foreign investment. Some of these developments include the ‘New Partnership for African Development’ which according to the blueprint is a pledge by African leaders, based on common vision and a firm and shared conviction, to eradicate poverty and to place their countries on the path of sustainable growth and development and, at the same time, to participate actively in the world economy and politics. Nigeria happened to be one of twelve (12) pilot countries invited to implement the program. So far, Nigeria, Cote d’ivore, Ghana, Kenya and Mali commenced the implementation of the school feeding program. As a result, the Federal Government came up with the Universal Basic Education Act in 2012, which provided the enabling legislative backing for the execution of the Home Grown School Feeding and Health Program.
Towards the realization of the objectives of the Universal Basic Education program and the central role of nutrition, the Federal Ministry of Education launched the Home Grown School Feeding and Health Program in 2012. The general goal of the School Feeding Program in Nigeria is to minimize hunger and malnutrition among primary school children and enhance the achievement of Universal Basic Education. Sokoto was among the twelve (12) States selected to begin a phased–pilot roll out implementation of the program. Although The Home Grown School Feeding and Health Program were launched, it did not receive attention until the change of government in the State in November, 2010. Subsequently, the new administration, under the leadership of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola convened an education summit headed by Professor Wole Soyinka. The summit’s objective was to critically examine the problems hampering growth and progress of education in the State and to proffer workable solutions.
At the end of the Summit, recommendations were made towards repositioning education in Sokoto State which among others included the School Feeding Program transformation. Thereafter, a comprehensive review of the old school feeding program was undertaken. School feeding program has been adopted in many countries throughout the world to fight short-term hunger by ensuring at least one daily nutritious meal to support access to education. The high level of food insecurity, significant incidence of malnutrition and economic meltdown all combine to make school feeding relevant [Education Cluster 2009]. In the poorest pockets of the world, these simple strategies can double primary school enrollment in one year, as is happening in Nigeria.