School-based programmes such as free meals can be ‘game-changers’ for school-age children and adolescents, especially from poorer backgrounds. Such schemes also help keep children in school, ensuring that government investment in education is not wasted.
Carmen Burbano, director of WFP’s School-Based Programmes Division, said: “Investing in health and nutrition in school, and specifically in school meals, is about investing in the learning and the learner. Providing children with services that support their health, nutrition, and overall well-being is crucial if we are to ensure that every child can learn and grow up healthy, and for communities and countries to thrive.”
The global report 'Ready to learn and thrive: School health and nutrition around the world' was launched by World Food Programme. It confirmed that school feeding programmes are the ‘world’s most extensive social safety net’, providing meals to almost half of all children in primary school.
Research has shown that school meals programmes can increase enrolment rates by 9% and attendance by 8%. The significant expansion of school feeding programmes over the last decade shows what political commitment can achieve, the report’s authors said.