FCT targets 120,000 pupils for school feeding programme

The Coordinator, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Victoria Aleogena, says more than 120,000 primary school pupils, would benefit from the programme.

Mrs Aleogena disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

She said over 123,000 pupils in Primaries one to three across 626 public schools in the FCT would benefit from the feeding program, scheduled to commence early 2019.

She explained that the programme is a component of the federal government’s social safety net designed to primarily increase enrolment, retention and transition in school, and also increase their nutritional and health status.

“We have not determined how many food vendors yet, but we will need about 1,250 or 1,300 and about 2,000 applications have already been received since August, this year, when the committee was inaugurated,’’ she said.

She appealed to the FCT residents to be patient with the government on the lateness of the programme.

The coordinator assured that the due process would be applied in selecting the food vendors, explaining that they had to resort to open ballot system to select the cooks.

Mrs Aleogena said when selected, all the cooks would be required to open accounts with two or three banks designated by the FCT administration, through which their monies would be paid to them directly by the Federal Government.

She added that the FCTA was working with bakers association to reduce the cost of bread and eggs for the food vendors.

“We are working with Agriculture and Rural Development, Education, Social Development, Area Councils Services.

“Also, Health and Human Services Secretariats, as well as the FCT Treasury and Economic Planning, Research and Statistic Departments have pledged support for the programme.

“We therefore appeal to the public, especially the parents, guardians and pupils to be patient and understand that we are following due process to give them the best and serve as a model for other states,’’ she reiterated.

(NAN)