The Betterment Of School Feeding Program And The Alternative Option -By Onawola Abdulqodri Adewale

Indeed, it is a benevolent act of the Nigerian government to remember and show signs of affection and love for students on lockdown due to the global health emergency. All school programs have been shut down a couple of weeks ago resulting in two months ago, and students are informed to stay at home in order to strictly avoid social involvement.

In Nigeria, it is a based tradition to cater to students whose parents or guardians are not financially buoyant but cherish the interest to academically enroll their wards. Dominantly, food feeding program is practiced in the northern part of Nigeria because a dominant number of parents and guardians are not privileged to be literate; societal regards to education is also a determiner, but notwithstanding, they encounter financial challenges in the process of enrolling their wards.

The government intervenes in this situation and plays a pertinent role in the assurance that these wards are educated. The school feeding program is an indispensable segment among other government interventions but the pressing development is:” how effective would it be in this trying situation”?
Students are now helter-skelter due to the global health crisis. Many students have changed their locations with the belief that, it is better to feel the presence of one’s relatives in this trying situation.
The closure of schools is to strictly prevent social engagements in which many actions have subsequently taken place. Students who are the beneficiaries of this program are under restriction, how smooth could this program run without violating preventive rules?

Considering the embargo placed on inter and intrastate movement is another issue that hinders the possibility of this school feeding program because many students move from the schooling locations to residential locations. It won’t be an easy task to transit back to the schooling locations because of this program.

In the process of executing this school feeding program for students under restriction, unexpected occurrences may occur in the sense that the rule of social distancing may be violated among the concerned students and individuals when this happens, it is a cogent supposition that the invisible enemy, coronavirus, may be spread by a victim unknowingly.

In addition, the concerned individuals and students who would transit back to the schooling locations could violate the embargo placed on intra and interstate movements, when this occurs, the virus is liable to be spread among members by an unknown victim who shows no symptoms.

THE BETTER ALTERNATIVE OPTION

A two-shot is possible in a single tap. The concerned students and individuals could be catered for and the protective rules would not be violated. It is good to know that the Parent Teacher’s Forum (PTF) could be of great importance in this situation. Every school has data of parents and guardian’s information, together with their wards information accordingly, this could be making good use of in the sense that the available data could be collected generally.

In order to carry out a smooth provisional program for students, Government could consult the PTF of schools respectively and derive a well prepared and identifiable list that entails the names of parents, bank account details, and names of tagged wards; direct payments could be made into the accounts of parents and guardians without stress. When this is done, the concerned wards have catered for.

In conclusion and besides all that has been said, supposing that the Government could practice this commendable act, the costs of many expenses would be boycotted and a widely acceptable and smoothly running program would be realized.

Onawola Abdulqodri Adewale is a 200_ level student of the English language at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria. He can be reached via his email address: onawolaabdulqodri22@gmail.com or contact detail: 09025324714.