Gov’t moves to Improve School Feeding Programme

Some $37.3 million will go towards initiatives aimed at improving the operations of the School Feeding programme this fiscal year.

As stated in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, the aim is to modernize and upgrade institutional capacity and organizational structure, and improve the nutritional quality and efficiency of the snack component of the programme.

In achieving the objectives, a web-based information system will be developed to support the management and monitoring of the food subsidy provided to students under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), and have the system linked to the Ministry of Education’s Management Information System, and the PATH database.

The allocation for the fiscal year will provide for the completion of an independent operational assessment of the feeding subsidy for students in PATH households; develop draft national school feeding paper concept paper; conduct stakeholder consultations on the draft policy; and develop the final policy.

Also to be conducted is a study to generate information to guide the development of a proposal for a national breakfast programme, and determine stakeholders’ perception and use of the Nutribun snacks, and a proposal developed for the implementation the breakfast programme.

Field trials will also be undertaken to test proposed monitoring and evaluation procedures; and seminars held to disseminate findings carried out under the project.

By Alphea Saunders, JIS Senior Reporter