Raymond Ozoji, Awka reports.
On December 8th, 2016 the government of President Mohammadu Buhari launched a school feeding programme for primary schools across the federation and about Nine pilot states were selected to kick start the scheme .
Anambra state was one of the pilot states selected for the implementation of the school feeding programme for primary school pupils.
The programme was designed and intended to provide food for school children during school hours .
But it became an irony of situation at the NUT State Wing Executive
Council Meeting held at the Teachers' House in Awka as teachers recount their ordeals in the hands of some politicians who have allegedly hijacked the exercise making school children hunger and thirst for food that were either non-existent nor infinitesimally small even though government has paid for the food .
Mrs. Nonye Chibueze of community central school Amichi Nnewi-south local government area of Anambra state while presenting a situation report on the on-going school feeding programme in her school stated that they were asked to screen food vendors for the federal government school feeding programme in the state but expressed surprise that the exercise was hijacked alleging that only APGA members were selected as food vendors for the school feeding programme in Anambra state.
Chibueze further disclosed that APGA members supplied the food vendors for the exercise claiming that most times, the vendors put small food in a bowel for the pupils and they would crowd the bowel scrambling and scooping food from it with their bare hands unwashed.
Though she commended the federa and Anambra state governments for the initiative but also made case for the inclusion of nursery school pupils in the scheme emphasizing that since the programme started, the children began to look healthy and energetic noting that the feeding helps them a lot especially those who don't feed at home and those staying back for extra lessons after school hours .
Moreso, Mr. Achukwu Chris the state Chairman Association of Primary Schools Head Teachers of Nigeria maintained that there were challenges confronting the school feeding programme in Anambra state.
According to him another problematic issue was that the scheme was not consistent adding that most times, when the children ask for food, the vendors will say they have not been paid even though he pointed out that government paid the food vendors in batches.
He also disclosed that the food vendors do not come everyday contrary to the modalities of the programme and worst still, according to him, was that the food vendors used the old population given to them stressing that public schools were getting more children and that food given to them could be described as a piece of kola nut just to ensure that every child had oil in his or her mouth irrespective of the number of children to one bowel.
Furthermore State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers Anambra state wing Comrade Ifeanyi Ofodile who presided over the NUT state wing executive council meeting said the situation was worrisome but the union will consider the reports as well as take adequate remedial actions to ensure that the school feeding programme was well implemented in Anambra state.
End
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