The impact of school feeding programme on school enrolment, attendance, and retention of pupils in some selected public basic schools in the Berekum East Municipality

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Government of Ghana in its various developments of social intervention policies initiated the Ghana School Feeding Programme which was geared towards the fulfillment of Goal 1 and 2 of the Millennium Development Goals. Based on these goals, the immediate objectives of the programme were to increase school enrolment, attendance, and retention; reduce hunger and malnutrition, and boost domestic food production. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Ghana School Feeding Programme on enrolment, attendance, and retention of pupils in some selected public basic schools in the Berekum East municipality. The study used a mixed research approach with descriptive designs to find answers to research questions. Both systematic and purposive sampling were used in selecting 102 respondents from Berekum Municipal Assembly and 10 public basic schools in the Municipality. Category of respondents targeted were pupils, head teachers, classroom teachers, cooks, and parents, School Implementation Committee, Municipal Implementation Committee and Municipal Education Director. The questionnaire which took the form of both open-ended and close-ended questions was the primary means of collecting data from these respondents. The study revealed that some remarkable improvements in school enrolment, attendance, and retention would not have been achieved without the introduction of the school feeding programme. Even though other driving forces were stimulating growth in school enrolment, attendance, and retention, school feeding programme emerged as the major condition that induced appreciable improvement in school enrolment, attendance and retention. However, provision of lunch without breakfast accounted for lateness among pupils which in turn led to a marginal positive effect on academic performance. Inadequate of funds was discovered as the major challenge leading to multiples of problems. It was recommended that the sources of funds for the programme should be expanded in order to ensure adequate funds to run the programme effectively for the assurance of sustainability.