THE IMPACT OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS FEEDING PROGRAMME ON PUPILS’ REGISTRATION INTO PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU SOUTHOF ENUGU STATE

Abstract

This research study aims to investigate the impact of primary school feeding programmes on pupils' registration in Enugu South, Enugu State public primary schools. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The population comprises of all the teachers and pupils primary schools in Enugu South Local Government Area. A random sample for the study consisted of 1145 respondents (830 students and 315 teachers). Two instruments (primary and secondary) were used for data collection. The data were analyzed with the use of mean and standard deviation.. Two research questions were answered. The study revealed that the enrolment trend has been steadily and consistently increasing except for 2018/19 - 2019/20. Data was collected through structured questionnaire administered to randomly selected respondents. Descriptive statistics of chi-square analysis was used to analyze the data. The results reveal that primary school feeding programmes have a significant impact on pupils' registration in Enugu South, Enugu public schools (p< 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the perception of stakeholders (pupils and teachers) on the effectiveness of the school feeding programme among primary schools in Enugu South of Enugu State, Nigeria (t[1143]=1.656, p=0.053). The study also revealed that the most influential factor for pupils' registration is the availability of primary school feeding programmes. The main reasons for pupils' enrolment into Enugu public primary schools which have feeding programmes are improved nutrition, provision of a balanced diet, and increased attendance rate. The study further revealed that primary school feeding programmes have improved the academic performance of the pupils, and this has resulted in increased enrolment of pupils. It is recommended that the Enugu State government should strengthen the existing primary school feeding programmes in order to increase the enrollment rate of pupils in public primary schools. The government should also ensure that existing policies are adhered to and properly implemented in order to achieve the objectives of the primary school feeding programmes. Furthermore, stakeholders should collaborate to create awareness on the importance of primary school feeding programmes in improving pupils' enrolment rate in Enugu public schools.