By Saio Marrah
With support from Government of Sierra Leone and Plan International Canada, 57,500 pupils in 200 schools in Western Area Rural District, have been added to the School Feeding programme under the Free Quality Education Package.
This is according to the Deputy Minister(2) of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Mamusu Konneh Massaquoi, during the launch of the feeding initiative at the Rural Education Committee Primary School, in Russel Village, on Monday 30th January 2023.
Ms.Massaquoi said the total number of pupils benefiting from the School Feeding programme across the country has risen to seven hundred and thirty-five thousand (735,000) in all but one of the country’s 16 districts.
According to her, it is being implemented in 113 chiefdoms in Sierra Leone, covering more than 70% of the chiefdoms in the country.
She explained that the aim of government is to ensure universal school feeding in the country. This she said implies every child from pre- primary and primary school in Sierra Leone should benefit from the feeding programme.
She said the programme has ensured more enrollment of pupils, helped the kids stay in school and also contributed in getting their attention in class.
The Country Director of Plan International-Sierra Leone, the implementing partner of Western Area School Feeding programme, Evariste Sindayigaya, thanked the Government of Sierra Leone for its vision for children of this country and pointed out that the vision of Plan is to ensure children, especially the girl child stay strong.
He noted that it is also the vision organization that every girl child is able to decide for themselves and be able to do more.
Sindayigaya therefore called for every girl child to live in a safe and enabling environment.
According to their data he said, 52% of pupils benefiting from the feeding package are girls.
An old pupil of the school, who is also Western Area Sherbro Tribal Head, Kaimalieh Benga, said the government has given them the responsibility to monitor the process as traditional leaders, and assured that the programme will go on accordingly.
He narrated how since the introduction of the school feeding in his community, the school kids do not ask him again for lunch.
The National Coordinator, Civil Rights Coalition, Alphonso Manley,said Plan International were chosen as implementing partners because they are credible.
He said they will be monitoring the feeding and called on all to embrace the process.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, also Chairman of SLPP East Rural District, Dr. Alfred Taylor thanked the government for incorporating his area into the feeding scheme, and urged the children to embrace it.
He applauded the contribution of Plan in also providing learning materials to schools over the years.
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