School feeding program hailed for improving attendance, nutrition in Mzimba

Primary School teachers and learners from various schools in Mzimba District have hailed the school feeding programme (SFP) for its significant contribution towards improving attendance, enrolment, performance and nutrition among primary school going children in the district.

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Speaking Tuesday during Seibo Maria SFP’s capacity building and review meeting, Deputy Head Teacher for Kazomba Primary School, Petros Simbale, said since the inception of the program, the school has seen a significant increase in learners’ enrolment, attendance and participation in class.

“This is because SFP shapes learners to have a keen interest in continuing to learn because they are free from hunger. Their concentration in class also improves hence we are registering good examination results,” he said.

Despite the programme’s success, Mzimba LEA School Head Teacher, Josephy Chirwa, highlighted some challenges affecting delivery of the programme in the district.

“In other schools, poor road network, absence of volunteers for daily cooking, scarcity of firewood and worn out pots are major challenges. As for our school, we have registered a significant increase in enrolment as the meals fail to cater for all the learners,” he said.

One of the learners at St Paul’s Primary School, Esther Mtonga, hailed the programme saying she has improved her performance in class because she is able to concentrate.

Seibo Maria SFP Supervisor, Victor Mnthulo, said the organisation is implementing the programme in 12 schools in the district, benefiting 15,966 learners.