Minister of Education, Joseph Nsengimana, has called on parents to actively contribute to the school feeding programme, emphasising its role in keeping children in school and ensuring children get necessary nutritional benefits. He made the call on March 7 during the celebration of Africa Day of School Feeding at GS Kigali in Nyarugenge District, where schools with good performance in the school feeding programme were recognised. ALSO READ: Rwanda targets firewood-free cooking in schools by 2032 “There are still areas for improvement. In some schools, only 30 per cent of parents contribute, while others do not contribute at all. Compared to what the government provides, their contribution is small but necessary,” he added. In the fiscal year 2024-2025, the government has allocated Rwf94 billion for the school feeding programme, from Rwf90 billion in the previous year. Parents or guardians contribute about Rwf1000 per child every month. He noted that although the programme is implemented nationwide, challenges remain, particularly in ensuring balanced meals and increasing parental participation. “When children cannot have meals at school, they do not study well. Some used to return home for meals, causing delays, while others had nothing to eat at all,” he said, explaining that the school feeding is aimed at solving that issue. ALSO READ: School feeding programme budget rises to Rwf 90 billion: what it means Nsengimana added that the programme has helped reduce dropout rates and encouraged children to start primary school at the appropriate age. “Many children who had dropped out have returned because of this programme. We also want children to start primary school at six years old because late enrolment increases the risk of dropping out.” “To support the initiative, the government has built over 3,200 kitchens and installed more than 700,100 cooking stoves across the country,” he indicated. ALSO READ: Education Ministry calls for parents’ involvement in school feeding programme “Beyond education, the programme also benefits agriculture by creating a market for farmers to supply food for students,” he added. Rose Baguma, Head of the Education Policy Department at the Ministry of Education, explained that the school feeding budget is determined by student numbers each year. Baguma highlighted that school dropout rates have decreased by four per cent since 2021, with school feeding playing a role in the decrease. However, most of the schools use firewood for cooking, which affects the environment. “We have started piloting the use of gas, but this will be a gradual process,” Baguma said. “Some schools integrate agriculture and use their produce for school meals. Others mobilise parents effectively, and some even keep livestock for milk or poultry for eggs,” she said. She added that those factors helped to identify the excellent schools in school feeding. Every top-performing school on provincial level received Rwf2,000,000, while the best school in each district was rewarded with Rwf800,000. “Now, thanks to the school feeding programme, we can go to work and return home in the evening without worrying that our children are hungry because they eat at school,” said Violette Mujawase, a resident of Nyarugenge Sector in Nyarugenge District, whose child studies at GS Kigali. “Before the programme, children would come back home and find that food was not ready. Sometimes, they had wait until night,” she said. Mujawase urged other parents to contribute. “Maybe it’s poverty or negligence, but the contribution required is not that much,” she said.
