Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin-Kebbi
Over 368,000 Primary School Pupils in Kebbi State will benefit from the Federal Government National Home Grown Feeding Programme across all the 21 local government areas of the state.
Commissioner for Education in the state, Alhaji Muhammadu Magawata Aleiro, confirmed this, on Tuesday, during a training workshop for trainers and vendors organised by the state Ministry of Education in Birnin Kebbi,the state capital.
Aleiro explained that the programme was designed to motivate children to go to schools and improving their enrolment from Primary one to three ..
According to him, “The Kebbi State Government has now queued into the national home grown feeding programme introduced by the Federal Government to feed all Nigerian child in primary schools from one to three class so that they can learn very well and attain the schools.
“We have been having series of meetings and discussions with the federal government for about four to six months, and about 368,000 children will benefit from the programme in all the 21 local government areas,” he said.
Aleiro disclosed that each pupil in the schools would be fed with N70 meal per day through food vendors who would be trained by the federal government on hygiene and nutritional ingredients.
In his remarks, Mr. Ayoola Rufa’i, a representative from the Office of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, explained that the programme was not only to improve the enrolment and eradicate illiteracy in the county but also to increase national food production.
“We use food that we produce in our country to feed the children not imported ones. By doing this,, we are encouraging the production of nation food. It will also promotes the nutritional values, hygiene and balanced diet as well increased the health status of pupils in the schools.