
Osun School Feeding Ranked The Best In The Country As Delta State Sends Delegation To Understudy The Programme
The State of Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS) has been described as the best and most organized in the country which other states need to emulate.
This was the submission of a 17- member Delta State Committee on Food and Nutrition who were in Osun to understudy the Osun school feeding programme of the state.
Speaking on behalf of other members, the Coordinator of the Committee who is also the UNICEF Desk Officer in the Delta State Ministry of Finance, Mr. Akozor Nduka disclosed that, the aim of the Delta state government is to introduce school feeding as an intervention to encourage pupils in crisis prone communities of the state.
Akozor who stated that, a hungry pupil as a result of the poverty level of the parent cannot concentrate in class, held that the best way to encourage attendance, enrolment and concentration is by introducing school feeding at least once daily.
He emphasized on the need for other states including Delta to understudy the school feeding programme of Osun as a role model so as to succeed.
According to him, Osun is the leading example among the states of the federation carrying out the school feeding programme in the right way.
He stressed that, arrangement would be made to ensure those in authority and policy makers in Delta state to come to the State of Osun to see things for themselves in a bid to facilitate quick implementation of the programme in the South Southern State.
Earlier, the State Operation officer for Osun School Feeding and Health Programmes, Mrs. Olubunmi Ayoola while briefing the delegates before the field inspection hinted that, Osun School Feeding gulps N12.7 million daily.
Mrs. Ayoola maintained that, the Governor of the State of Osun ,Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is passionate in bridging the gap between the children of the poor and the rich through O-meals and other School facilities he provided, thereby making him to regard it as an investment in the lives of the future leaders rather than expenditure.
Mrs. Ayoola stressed that, nutritious menu used for the school feeding programme has tremendously impacted in the retentive and enrolment capacity of the pupils, while urging the delegates to make the best use of the Osun experience.
Part of the tour of the Delta state committee was the physical inspection of O-Meals food vendors and their food at L.A Elementary Model School, Imo, Ilesa as well as how centrally distributed food items like beef, fish and egg are being processed, packaged and distributed at abattoir in Ilesa and Feg Agro Farm, Ijeda-ijesa respectively.
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