40% of Kaduna pupils attend school because of free meals, says gov’s aide

n n

The Kaduna State Government has said about 40 per cent of pupils currently enrolled in public schools attend because of its free school feeding programme, describing the initiative as a key strategy for reducing the number of out-of-school children, particularly Almajiri pupils.

n

The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Uba Sani on the School Feeding Programme, Fauziya Buhari-Ado, disclosed this in a statement on Friday after receiving an Award of Excellence in Education Advancement from the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria.

n

She also commended Governor Uba Sani’s education reforms and called for sustained support for the school feeding programme.

n

According to Buhari-Ado, the administration recognised from inception that tackling the challenge of out-of-school children, particularly among Almajiri pupils, required urgent reforms centred on free education and school feeding.

n

“Since we came into government, we understood that there were challenges, and we knew that urgent reforms were necessary. We implemented those necessary reforms under the guidance of His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani, who has truly put the children of Kaduna State at the heart of his administration,” she said.

n

She noted that the prevalence of the Almajiri system and the impact of insecurity in northern Nigeria informed the government’s decision to strengthen interventions aimed at getting vulnerable children into school.

n

“Even with the issue of insecurity, we knew that if we did not protect the children of Kaduna State and allowed them to roam the streets, especially considering that the Almajiri phenomenon and other vulnerable children are more prevalent in northern Nigeria, the situation would worsen.

n

“He took the necessary steps to ensure that those children go to school because free school feeding and free education are critical to keeping them in school,” Buhari-Ado added.

n

She said monitoring visits to schools had shown that the programme had become a major incentive for enrolment and retention.

n

“As we visit schools, we hear from principals and parents that, if not for the school feeding programme, many of these children would not be in school. I have seen this firsthand. I have heard from the children, who are the beneficiaries, and I have also heard from their parents.

n

“About 40 per cent of the children attending school are there because of the food,” she said.

n

Buhari-Ado attributed the success of the Kaduna State School Feeding Programme to Governor Uba Sani’s leadership, noting that the initiative had improved school attendance, reduced absenteeism and enhanced the welfare of children across the state.

n

She also praised the administration’s investments in education infrastructure, social protection programmes and human capital development, describing them as critical to expanding access to quality education and improving learning outcomes.

n

The Kaduna State Government has made tackling the out-of-school children crisis one of the priorities of the Uba Sani administration. Through investments in school infrastructure, free basic education, teacher support and school feeding, the government aims to improve enrolment, retention and learning outcomes, particularly for children from poor and vulnerable households.

n

School feeding has become a central component of that strategy. Education experts have identified school meals as an effective social protection intervention that improves attendance, reduces hunger, encourages regular classroom participation and eases the financial burden on low-income families.

n

In northern Nigeria, where poverty, insecurity and the Almajiri system continue to contribute to high numbers of out-of-school children, school feeding is increasingly being used as a tool to attract children into formal education and keep them in school.

n n