Influence of National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme on primary school pupils attendance and academic performance in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined influence of National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme on primary school pupils’ attendance and academic performance in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Two specific objectives with corresponding research questions and hypotheses were raised and formulated respectively to guide the study. The study adopted survey research design and was carried out in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. The population of this study is 1870 teachers from 79 public primary schools in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State. The sample size for this study is 330 teachers. A structured questionnaire titled “National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme and Pupils Attendance and Performance in Public Primary Schools Questionnaire" was developed and used for the study. Cronbach Alpha Statistic was used to obtain an overall reliability coefficient of 0.89 for the instrument. The descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions. Chi-square statistics was used to test the two null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. From analysis of data, the following major findings were made: provision of meals to pupils improve their daily regular attendance, improves enrolment in primary schools, enhances their punctuality, and also improves their co-curricular activities. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made; the State Government should try and replicate the blue print of the Federal Government's National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme to every Local Government in the State so as to ensure sustainability in the provision of meals to pupils and as well as improve their daily regular attendance as well as enhancing their punctuality. Also, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and other education stakeholders should initiate school feeding integrated intervention programmes that improves co-curricular activities through provision of meals to pupils this will influence their ability to understand the practicality of things during learning and also improve their ability to engage with digital technologies.