Appraisal of Government Feeding Programme on Increased School Enrollment, Attendance, Retention and Completion among Secondary School Students in Maiduguri, Borno State

Abstract

This study appraised government feeding programme on increased school enrollment, attendance, retention and completion among secondary school students in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. Descriptive survey method was the research design adopted for this study. The target population for this study comprised day public secondary schools in Maiduguri, Borno state, with a total population of nine thousand three hundred and thirty eight (9,338) students. The sample of 934 students was selected using simple and stratified random sampling techniques. A self- developed questionnaire was the instrument of data collection. The response mode for the instrument was a modified four points Likert type scale. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, and percentage scores was used to answer the research question, while Chi-square test was also used to analyze the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that the school feeding programme improved the nutritional health status of the students. The findings recommended that Federal Government should assign Ministry of Finance to perform monitoring and evaluation functions, allocate more funds and logistics and give up-to-date records to the state government to make sure the feeding programme achieve an optimal level of the desired objectives. Appraisal tools other than questionnaires should be employed when appraising the students cognitive capabilities in order to ensure effective outcome and reporting. Borno State government Donor agencies, and stakeholders in education should increase funding and make sure the schools have constant supply of food through committed food distribution channels. Individual targeting should be used as a mechanism to motivate enrollment in school or more regular attendance. The target group should be families with children who are not in school or who are frequently absent.