Abstract
BackgroundUnderachievement in schools is a global problem and is especially prevalent in developing countries. Indicators of educational performance show that Uganda has done remarkably well on education access-related targets since the introduction of universal primary education in 1997. However, educational outcomes remain disappointing. The absence of school feeding schemes, one of the leading causes of scholastic underachievement, has not been given attention by the Ugandan authorities. Instead, as a national policy, parents are expected to provide meals even though many, especially in the rural areas, cannot afford to provide even the minimal daily bowl of maize porridge.ObjectiveTo assess and demonstrate the effect of breakfast and midday meal consumption on academic achievement of schoolchildren.Design, Materials and MethodsWe assessed household characteristics, feeding patterns and academic achievement of 645 schoolchildren (aged 9–15 years) in Kumi district, eastern Uganda, in 2006–2007, using a modified cluster sampling design which involved only grade 1 schools (34 in total) and pupils of grade four. Household questionnaires and school records were used to collect information on socio-demographic factors, feeding patterns and school attendance. Academic achievement was assessed using unstandardized techniques, specifically designed for this study.ResultsUnderachievement (the proportion below a score of 120.0 points) was high (68.4%); in addition, significantly higher achievement and better feeding patterns were observed among children from the less poor households (p<0.05). Achievement was significantly associated with consumption of breakfast and a midday meal, particularly for boys (p<0.05), and a greater likelihood of scoring well was observed for better nourished children (all OR values>1.0).ConclusionWe observed that underachievement was relatively high; inadequate patterns of meal consumption, particularly for the most poor, significantly higher scores among children from ‘less poor’ households and a significant association between academic achievement and breakfast and midday meal consumption.
Highlights
Underachievement in schools is a global problem and is especially prevalent in developing countries
Use of unstandardized methods attempted to accommodate the unique differences reported among children, a few of which include learning environments, socioeconomic backgrounds and gender [18]. We considered that this kind of testing could bring all the children to the same level of knowledge, having been taught the same content by the same teacher and under more-or-less similar learning conditions; unless otherwise stated, ELA and MA were assessed by testing the children after they had been given lessons in these subjects, following the curriculum objectives designed by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES)
More than half were born to mothers who had either no formal education or had incomplete primary education, and lived in relatively large households
Summary
Underachievement in schools is a global problem and is especially prevalent in developing countries. Materials and Methods: We assessed household characteristics, feeding patterns and academic achievement of 645 schoolchildren (aged 9Á15 years) in Kumi district, eastern Uganda, in 2006Á2007, using a modified cluster sampling design which involved only grade 1 schools (34 in total) and pupils of grade four. Results: Underachievement (the proportion below a score of 120.0 points) was high (68.4%); in addition, significantly higher achievement and better feeding patterns were observed among children from the less poor households (p B 0.05). Achievement was significantly associated with consumption of breakfast and a midday meal, for boys (p B 0.05), and a greater likelihood of scoring well was observed for better nourished children (all OR values !1.0). Conclusion: We observed that underachievement was relatively high; inadequate patterns of meal consumption, for the most poor, significantly higher scores among children from ‘less poor’ households and a significant association between academic achievement and breakfast and midday meal consumption
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