AS LEARNERS report back to school for second term today, feeding at school remains a big challenge that needs to be addressed by all stake holders in education. Many schools don’t have a clear policy on feeding for learners while at school. During a leadership retreat last month, government proposed a school feeding policy which puts more responsibility on parents and schools to ensure that children don’t miss meals while at school. Schools should implement this feeding policy aimed at improving the quality of education. The proposed policy calls on schools to provide meals to pupils to supplement the existing feeding interventions by government like the One Cup of Milk per child twice a week programme. Through the Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), schools can engage parents to contribute to the feeding needs of children while at school. For example, parents can be asked to pay a small fee toward feeding children in school. Parents should not neglect their responsibility toward the wellbeing of their children. Every parent should try as much as possible to ensure that their children do not go to school hungry or miss a meal while at school. Research has established that pupils cannot concentrate if they go to class when hungry. Without proper feeding, children are exposed to malnutrition which affects their cognitive ability. Schools should also try to establish school farms and sensitise parents on the importance of proper feeding in schools.
