Kaduna begins feeding of 1.5m primary school pupils

The Kaduna State Government on Monday commenced the feeding of 1.5 million children in over 4,000 pubic primary schools in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reprts that Governor Nasiru El-Rufai flagged off the School Feeding Programme at Aliyu Makama LEA Primary School in Barnawa, Kaduna.
El-Rufai said the intervention was necessary to boost nutrition and health of the children, as well as encourage school attendance.
The governor stressed that the programme was part of the free education project initiated by the administration to expand access to education and ensure that every child “can have nine years of free, decent basic education no matter the income level of their parent”.
According to El-Rufai, the programme is directly creating 17,000 jobs for caterers, who in turn will employ others to support them.
He said: “It is an unprecedented undertaking in the state, but one that we solemnly pledge to do during campaign.”
The governor noted that the programme would save parents money and time and empower women serving as vendors to expand their businesses.
“In seeking to take care of our children we are creating jobs, boosting demand and expanding people to new skills and hygiene standard, and providing extra income,” El-Rufai added.
He urged those involved in the programme to discharge their responsibilities with commitment and accountability.
He said: “We invite the schools-based management committees and Parent Teacher Associations to review and provide us with their observation on the implementation of the programme at the school level.”
He disclosed that since the introduction of free education by the government, enrollment in public primary schools in the state had risen by 64 per cent
El-Rufai announced that the Federal Government would, in due course, reimburse the state of 60 per cent of the amount it spent on the school feeding programme.
NAN.