Improving and Enhancing Meal Participation by Learners in the School Feeding Programme in Selected Eswatini High Schools
- September 13, 2019
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VIII, August 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186
Hazel Nompumelelo Mkhonta, Dumisa Celumusa Mabuza
Department of Consumer Sciences Education and Community Development, Faculty of Consumer Sciences, University of Eswatini, P. O. Luyengo, Eswatini
Abstract: – School feeding (SF) has been made headway globally since the early 1940s having started in Latin American countries to improve health, educational performance and attendance of school age children. The purpose of this study was to identify possible strategies that may be applied to improve meal participation by learners in Eswatini high schools. It is a case study of four selected high schools in Shiselweni region, Hlathikhulu boundary. Low or non-participation has raised concern about SF effectiveness in addressing hunger issues among high school learners. The study adopted a descriptive survey design employing a mixed method using semi-structured interviews and survey questionnaires. Population of the study was high school learners and SF facilitators from randomly selected high schools in Shiselweni region. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 was used to analyze the quantitative data employing descriptive statistics, while qualitative data employed a theoretical thematic analysis. Findings of the study established that SF is an appropriate safety net for high schools. Possible strategies for improvement for SF effectiveness included: 1) Provision of variety in menu, 2) Extra funding, 3) Involvement of learners in menu development, 4) Nutrition education for learners and 5) Local community involvement in SF. It was recommended that, for SF effectiveness to be attained, governments should secure extra funding and support projects that would generate funds, such as vegetable production and partnering with local farmers for supporting SF, making it cost effective.
Index words: Hunger, In-school feeding, Intervention strategy, Nutrition, School feeding, Take-Home Rations
I. INTRODUCTION
School Feeding (SF) is a globally recognized safety net, which governments are to adopt and use in schools, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, SF are school meals (SMs), meant to address issues of food security and provide support for the learners’ education towards a sustainable future (World Food Program Report, 2016). According to WFP, developing countries use SF as an instrument for achieving the Millennium Development Goals targeted for food insecure populations residing in areas with highly concentrated poor families.
