DepEd wants to expand feeding program to entire school year

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it wants to expand the 120-day school-based feeding program (SBFP)  to cover the entire school year.

DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa made the remarks at the post-SONA discussion on poverty reduction where he noted the interrelation of health and education.

“What's important with learners is also nutrition. Parati kasing nakakalimutan ‘yan pero napakahirap mag-aral 'pag wala ka sa tamang nutrition and that’s why we have the school-based feeding program,” said Poa.

(Nutrition is vital for learners. We tend to forget but it’s difficult to study when you do not receive proper nutrition. That’s why we have the school-based feeding program.)

“Sa ngayon nasa 120 days for the school year ang ating school-based feeding program. We are looking to expand this to try and see if we could have it for the entire school year,” he added.

(It covers 120 days but we are looking to expand this to try and see if we could have it for the entire school year.)

According to Poa, expanding the coverage of the nutrition program “hits two birds with one stone” as it answers two education-related issues.

“Aside from giving proper nutrition to learners, it also encourages our learners to stay in school. Nababawasan din ang dropout rates kasi kung gutom ka bakit ka papasok?” said Poa.

[If you are hungry, why will you go to school?]

The SBFP is one of the three national feeding programs for undernourished children under RA 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act, the others being the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Supplemental Feeding Program for Children in Public Day Care Centers and the Department of Agriculture’s Milk Feeding Program.

Under the SBFP, undernourished children from kindergarten to Grade 6 are given deworming tablets and fed at least one fortified meal and micronutrient doses in pills, capsules, or syrups for at least 120 days in a school year.

School children who are covered under the program are those mostly “wasted and severely wasted,” or those who are considered too skinny for their age. — RSJ,  GMA Integrated News