Blow to students as the government plans to end the school feeding program.
The school feeding program is currently slated to be discontinued by the national government.
The National Assembly has expressed disapproval of the Treasury’s proposal to eliminate the program’s funding in the budget estimates for the 2024–2025 fiscal year.
Although Ksh. 4.9 billion was allotted for the program in the current fiscal year, the Ministry of Education requested an additional Ksh. 1 billion in the supplemental budget.
However, the Treasury has decided to discontinue the program entirely, a move that MPs believe will have an impact on 4.5 million students.
“I wanted my colleagues from Treasury who think this program is not important to be here,” bemoaned Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang. “The biggest challenge we are facing is that the whole budget has been removed. Those of us who take three meals a day might not know the feeling of what happens when a child does not have a meal in some certain parts of this country.”
PS Kipsang expressed his displeasure with significant reductions in the recurrent budget forecasts for the upcoming year, which come to Ksh.7 billion, during his appearance before the Education committee to defend the budget.
“We must acknowledge how crucial the school feeding program is to students’ academic progress and how crucial it is to ensuring that every child receives an education. He remarked, “We are pleading with the National Assembly to kindly bring back the school meal program.
“Retaining the midday meal that pupils receive is really crucial. The fact that the majority of students arrive without having eaten at home makes it crucial that the cup of oatmeal that is provided be kept. Over 2 million pupils are not in school, and one of the main causes of their absence is hunger.
The committee headed by Julius Melly was perplexed as to why the government was abandoning the scheme, given that the Kenya Kwanza government had pledged to expand the program even further in order to incentivize students to attend school.
“What I would like to know is what justification was offered for this program’s cancellation? I assumed that this government’s policy was to continue pouring money into it. Melly was poked.
PS Kipsang also threatened to withhold further funding from the ministry, threatening severe repercussions for students in elementary, middle, and even high schools.
The ministry claims that the junior school, which has experienced a surge in enrollment to 3,289 kids and needs Ksh. 46.1 billion to completely sponsor the students, will suffer the most.
According to the Basic Education PS, there is now a Ksh. 15.4 billion shortfall.
“We respectfully request that you grant this committee the authority to appropriate funds for the education sector. The Constitution grants you this authority,” Kipsang stated.
Blow to students as the government plans to end the school feeding program.
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