High School Feeding Programs Also a Priority

Dian Maheia

The Ministry of Education indicates in their data that children are also going hungry. C.E.O. Maheia says the Ministry will also be rolling out a National Healthy Start Feeding Program for high schools.

Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Ministry of Education

“One of the primary reasons we have found has to do with the economics of the situation. At a time when things are hard, it is hard to find money for school fees, hence the roll out of free education specifically with these schools. What that means is come the new academic year, these students will have their tuition and fees completely paid for by the government, because that is one of the primary reasons for their not returning. We also have seen really concerns regarding food. There is no food; there is no money to give me for food. That is why the National Healthy Start Feeding Program is such a priority for this government. We know that we have had feeding programs focused on primary schools. That has been the case. What we are trying to make sure of as we move on is that the feeding programs we will set up will run more efficiently. We need to make sure that we really get value for our money. So, while we have the feeding program starting, there is going to a pilot for a new way to run the National Healthy Start Feeding Program for primary schools. That will start with six primary schools and it will reach one thousand students in the first instance. While that is happening, we also need to make sure that with our four schools in the Education Upliftment Project, that we have a feeding program in place for them so that at minimum we know that when they come to school they can get a meal.”