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School Feeding Programs Benefiting 1 Mn Students

Countries
Ethiopia
Sources
Govt. Ethiopia
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ENA, March 13/2020 School feeding programs across the country are benefiting 1 million students, according to Ministry of Education.

At a joint press briefing held today, Education State Minister Million Mathios said the school feeding programs yet need 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 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 mostly areas vulnerable to food insecurity due to drought and other factors.

The programs have been implemented in cooperation with 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.

Agriculture State Minister, Gebre-Egziabher Gebre-Yohannes said on his part that expanding school feeding programs reduces the stunting of children caused by 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 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 National School Feeding Day will be celebrated this year for the fourth time.

The school feeding program was introduced to the country in 1995 by World Food Program in Ethiopia.