FG to take care of pupils from primary one to three while State Government carters for pupils from primary four to Six.
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Abia State has joined the few States in the country to qualify for funding of its free school meal programme by the federal government.
Having fulfilled all required structures, Abia state free school lunch programme received a boost of 43 million naira as payment to cooks recruited by the state government to participate in the Home grown School feeding Programme.
Recall that the Wife of the Governor Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, in partnership with several stakeholders last year, launched an initiative to provide daily free meals to pupils of public primary schools.
The initiative, which was widely commended, by all especially pupils and parents, is meant to ensure that children especially poor rural dwellers has access to one balanced meal daily.
The initiative will further improve agricultural production by making sure food to be served to pupils are grown in the State.
It will also create jobs especially for women as well as improve the rural economy.
Following the lunching of similar programme by the federal government, the federal government requested states to comply with certain conditions to qualify for full funding for an initial period of three years.
In line with the Okezie Ikpeazu administration’s policy of transparency, this fund was paid directly to over 1013 cooks mostly rural women who were recruited by the state government as cooks for the programme.
The federal government feeding programme will take care of pupils from primary one to three ,while the State Government takes up the complete feeding of pupils from primary four to six, aimed at reaching out to every rural primary school pupil in the programme. In this plan, every pupil will enjoy benefits of the programme courtesy of the State’s contribution.
Briefing newsmen after a steering committee meeting with the Wife of the Governor Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu, the State Focal Person on Social Investment, Mr. Chinenye Nwaogu said that the amount will be received every 10 days to support the state government’s plan to provide daily free balanced meal to over 200,000 public primary school pupils in the over 859 public primary schools across the state.
Mr Nwaogu maintained that the ripple effect of the programme will include high school enrollment, Agriculture productivity , rural economy, women and youth empowerment, trade and commerce etc. He informed newsmen that the multi ministerial steering committee has put in place solid structures to ensure the overall success of the programme.
The committee during its meeting approved the implementation timeline presented by the Programme Manager Elder G C Ahuruonye.
He thanked the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Phd and his Wife Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu for providing the enabling support for the state to qualify for this massive funding support.
In her remarks the wife of the Governor, thanked the Federal Government for coming to the aid of the state to implement the free school programme in Abia State.
She opined that the plan to provide free school meal to pupils of public primary schools was very dear to the heart of the Governor of the state Dr Okezie Ikpeazu who is poised to impact on the lives of all Abians especially the vulnerable. She enjoined all beneficiaries, the pupils, the cooks and the food input suppliers to take full advantage of this laudable programme to improve on their lots.
She thanked the state focal person for Social Investment Mr Chinenye Nwaogu for his commitment to the programmes of the state government, observing that his tenacity and hard work has attracted huge programmes and support to the state.
Others in attendance at the meeting included the wife of the deputy Governor Mrs Ude Oko Chukwu, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Mrs Amuta and her counterpart at the Ministry of Women affairs Dr Mrs Chikezie, among several others.
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