Food vendors under the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) have called on the government to increase the money they get to feed public primary school pupils on school days.
The cooks made the appeal during the training organised by the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) ahead of resumption of provision of mid-day meals to Primary 1-3 pupils attending public primary schools in Lagos State. The school feeding was halted in January because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their spokesperson, Mrs. Olaide Anifowose lamented that the funds given was insufficient to cook decent meals considering the economic downturn.
She said she only got N88,000 to feed 100 Primary 1-3 pupils at the Ebenezer Primary School, Egbeda for one month.
“The money we get to feed the children is too small. In my school, I was given N88,000 to feed 100 children. It is too small. I want to appeal to the government to help us increase the money,” she told the LASUBEB Chairman, Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King, as her fellow food vendors cheered loudly.
Mrs. Anifowose also complained that the food suppliers brought poor quality food stuff that were even more expensive than obtainable in the market.
“The yams they bring are so expensive. Once they brought yam for us, luckily the inspectors from Abuja were around. They had to help us bargain. The rice they bring for us has too much stones. It is the kind of rice we cannot feed our children at home. When they first started bringing bread, it was a bit sizeable but now it has become so small. We want you to attend to these issues,” she said.
Many other cooks also complained about the high cost of ingredients compared to the funds provided.
A food vendor at FOA Primary School, Ojo, who refused to give her name, said she got N80,000 for 100 pupils in January – an amount she said was barely enough to take to the market.
“The first time we started they paid 80,000, for now, they have stopped paying because of the COVID-19. The issues we have now is about the cost of things in the market and we want the government to increase the money being paid. So the money can be okay for us and the children too,” she said.
Another cook serving Yaba Model Primary School, Abule Oja said she got N200,000 to feed 135 pupils.
“We implore the government to please increase the money because the things are costly in the market now. Gas, kerosene, black charcoal are now expensive too.
Alawiye-King said he would send the feedback to funders of the programme, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. He said the Lagos State government played a supportive role in the implementation of the programme and had gone ahead to provide the children with water bottles, train the food vendors and provide them with identification cards and aprons.
Speaking on the theme of the training, “Quality nutrition and healthy lifestyle during COVID-19 pandemic,” Alawiye-King urged the cooks to observe hygiene and COVID-19 safety protocols while preparing school meals for the pupils.
“As we prepare to resume the continuation of the free mid-day meals as directed by the Federal Government, it is crucial that we adequately sensitize and train all our stakeholders, including food vendors and all food handlers on the required hygiene practices for a safe school feeding exercise.
“Therefore ensuring that food is safe for human consumption is likely the most critical part of the food preparation process,” he said.
Also, permanent board member in charge of special projects, Mr. Dayo Adefuye urged the cooks to ensure their environment is kept clean and the food is well presented to the children.
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