Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin-Kebbi
As part of measures to increase schools’ enrollment the Kebbi State Government, in partnership with the National Social Investment Office, Abuja, is set to embark on free feedings for 326,000 pupils in public primary schools across all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
Daily Sun learnt that local food vendors and cooks would be recruited by the local government chairmen, screened before they are employed to feed the pupils of primary one to three.
Each of the pupil would be entitled to N70 meal per head.
Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Muhammadu Magawata Aliero, who confirmed this development, on Friday, during the stakeholders meeting with traditional rulers, Local Government Chairmen, Religious leaders, Lawmakers.
He maintained that Ministry of Education has set up monitoring and supervising team to ensure the success and sustainability of the programme.
He said, “The Federal Government, as part of its commitment to the improvement of education at Primary Schools through the introduction of free feeding of Primary 1-3 pupils in all public schools of the participating States of the Federation.
“The State Government choice of enhancing the concept is based on its belief that children would be healthy and able to learn faster, feeding is an essential components that aids learning it would bring more girls and more pupils of the poorest and most disadvantaged to schools.
“We also believed that it would boost the state economy through patronage of locally produced agriculture products such as potatoes. And women and youths would be empowered through jobs creation”.
The Chairman of ALGON, represented by the Chairman of Jega Local Government, Alhaji Bello Abubakar, in his remark, assured stakeholders that all the 21 local government chairmen in the state would support the programme through provision of logistics to ensure that the programme is sustained.