Implementation and Monitoring of School Feeding Programmes in Mberengwa District of Zimbabwe

The adoption of United Nations sustainable goal number four represents a global concern for quality and inclusive education. The goal aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all (UN, 2015). To meet the targets of sustainable development goal number four, schools must be inclusive, healthy, physically safe, emotionally, and psychologically enabling. A school must control and minimise threats to child friendly environments. Threats include food and water insecurity, undernutrition, gender discrimination, and chronic poverty. It is against this background that developing countries have initiated school feeding programmes. The government of Zimbabwe, supported by UNICEF and the WFP developed the school nutrition guidelines to improve nutrition in schools. Apart from implementing the school nutrition programme as a tool to fight hunger and starvation, the programme aimed at boosting school attendance and educational outcomes. The paper aims at assessing the implementation and monitoring of Zimbabwe’s school feeding programme in Mberengwa District of Zimbabwe. It uses the qualitative methodology, interpretivist paradigm, and a case study design. Data is generated through interviews and focus group discussions. Parents, school heads, teachers-in-charge, and schools inspectors were purposively selected from seven primary schools, and Mberengwa district education office. The paper focuses on implementation and monitoring strategies and the role of different stakeholders in the school feeding programme. It further explores the challenges encountered in the implementation and monitoring of the school feeding programme. The paper makes recommendations on the establishment of robust policy mechanisms and increased government commitment to enhancing implementation and monitoring of the school feeding programme in the district. The challenges on the implementation and monitoring of the school feeding programme have wide implications on the development of learners as they come from diverse backgrounds. The provision of food and nutrition, security, safety, and a child friendly environment goes beyond the call of duty. It is a human rights issue.

Implementation, Monitoring, Child friendly school, Inclusive education

1. Agu, C.I. et al (2023). Appraisal of the Implementation of the National School Feeding Program and its Effect on Enrolment and Attendance in Public Primary Schools in Southeast, Nigeria. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Accessed 4 September 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Alderman, H., Behrman, J. & Hoddinott, J. (2004). Hunger & Malnutrition in Global Crisis & Global Solutions. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Aragi, J.C. et al (2026). What Works in School Meals? Policy Lessons from School Meal Programmes in Brazil and New Zealand. Policy Quarterly, 22(1). 41-53. https://doi.org/10.266686/pq.v22il.10502 Accessed 20 February 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Aurino, E., Gelli, A., & Adamba, C.(2019). Food for thought? Experimental Evidence on the Learning Impacts of a Large-scale School Feeding Program in Ghana. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Barnabas, B. et al (2023). Impact of Homegrown School Feeding Program on Smallholders’ Farmer Household Food Security in Northeastern Nigeria. Foods, 12(12), 2408.https://doi.org/10.3390/foods1212408 Accessed 15 January 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Barnes, C. et al (2021). Improving Implementation of School-based Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policies, Practices, and Programs: A systematic review. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 11(7), 1365-1410.https://doi.org/10.1993/tbm/ibab037. Accessed 15 February 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Chikuni, P. (2023). Opportunities and Challenges of School Feeding Programme in Bulawayo Central District in Bulawayo Province in Zimbabwe In International Research Journal Aug. 2023, Vol 10, Issue 8 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Government of Zimbabwe (2018). The Zimbabwe School Health Policy. Harare; Government Printers. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Government of Zimbabwe (2025). Statutory Instrument 13 of 2025. Harare; Government Printers. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Mmari, J., Momanyi, M. & Wambiya, P. (2025). Challenges Faced by School Feeding Committees in Sustaining School Feeding Programs in Public Primary Schools in Kilimanjaro Region. (2025). Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education. https://doi.org/10.59765/kn7f4j 10 March 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Desalegn, T. A., Gebremedhin, S., & Stoecker, B. J. (2022). Successes and challenges of the Home-grown School Feeding Program in Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia: A qualitative study. Journal of Nutritional Science, 11, e87. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2022.77 Accessed 12 December 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Drake, et al. (2017). Disease Control Priorities, 3rd ed.Volume 8: Child and Adolescent Health and Development. Washington D.C: The World Bank. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Gelli, A. et al. (2019). Impact of School Feeding on Educational Outcomes. Amsterdam; Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Fernandes, M., & Drake, L. (2016). Evaluation of Alternative School Feeding Models on Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and other social outcomes in Ghana: Rationale, randomised design and baseline data. Trials, 17(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-015-1116-0 Retrieved 5 October 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Ginja, T. G., & Chen, X. (2023). Conceptualising inclusive education: The role of teacher training and teacher’s attitudes towards inclusion of children with disabilities in Ethiopia. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 27(9), 1042–1055. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1879958 Accessed 10 October 2025 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Kabeyi, M.J. (2019). Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation in Project Life Cycle. In International of Project Management, 4(3), 1-8. Amsterdam; Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Manjo, D. Y. G. (2024). Examining the Administrative Structure and Implementation Approach of Safe School Initiative in Nigeria. 2(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Michnik, K. et al (2025). Parent/Caregiver Perceptions of the Good Food for Learning Universal School Lunch Program in Canada. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 86(1), 24–30. https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2024-029. Accessed 5 January 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Mwanthi, M. M., Wafula, C. M., & Mwaura Mbugua, J. (2024). The school feeding programme strategies and learner participation in public primary schools in Makueni county,Kenya. International Journal of Professional Business Review: Int. J. Prof.Bus. Rev., 9(7), 19. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Sarr, B. et al (2017). The Evolution of School Health and Nutrition in the Education Sector 2000–2015 in sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in Public Health, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00271 Accessed 5 February 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Singh, S., & Fernandes, M. (2018). Home-grown school feeding: Promoting local production systems diversification through nutrition sensitive agriculture. Food Security, 10, 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-017-0760-5. Retrieved 4 June 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. UNESCO. (2017). UNESCO-Education for All | Education | Research Starters | EBSCO Research. EBSCO: https://www.ebsco.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026, [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. UNICEF. (2023). UNICEF Zimbabwe. https//www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/ Retrieved 10 March 2026. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. UNICEF, (2020). Feeding for the Future: Stakeholders’ Perspectives on the Implementation and Impact of the School Feeding Programme in Rwanda. (2023). Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education. https://doi.org/10.59765/mg53y Accessed 20 November 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. United Nations, (2015). 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. New York; United Nations. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. World Bank. (2018). School Feeding: A Review of Evidence. https://wordbank.org Accessed 12 September 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study