
(School Feeding Programs Benefiting One Million Ethiopia Students) School feeding programs across the country is benefiting one million students, according to the Ministry of Education.
At a joint press briefing held today, Education State Minister Million Mathios said the school feeding programs yet need the active participation of communities, and collaboration of government and development partners in order to ensure sustainability.
With the view to enhancing public awareness about the significance of school feeding, the National School Feeding The day will be celebrated at Seqota of the Amhara Regional State on March 15, 2019. Ministries of education and agricultural are the organizers of the event, it was learned.
According to the state minister, school feeding programs have been carried out in most areas vulnerable to food insecurity due to drought and other factors.
The programs have been implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, and donor organizations.
The school feeding programs help students to attend school regularly and be mentally and physically healthy.
(School Feeding Programs Benefiting One Million Ethiopia Students) Agriculture State Minister, Gebre-Egziabher Gebre-Yohannes said on his part that expanding school feeding programs reduce the stunting of children caused by a shortage of food and lack of nutritional food.
In addition to creating healthy and competent students and reducing dropouts, the programs also create market opportunity and enhance the productivity of farmers, he added.
Gebre-Egziabher stated that his ministry and Ministry of Education will work to expand the school feeding program by enhancing agricultural productivity of farmers and dairy farming.
The school feeding program was introduced to the country in 1995 by the World Food Program in Ethiopia.