A SCHOOL-BASED feeding program is hard to fully implement due to the lack of budget, says the Department of Education (DepEd).
“The challenge is the funding,” said DepEd Assistant Secretary G.H. Ambat.
Ambat said there is a law concerning the feeding program in schools.
In buying ingredients for the feeding, Ambat said they cannot go to the public market where prices are lower because have to have receipts for liquidation of budget.
As of now, she said, schools have to identify students who are malnourished by weighing them at the start of the year. They will be the ones prioritized for the feeding, she said.
In Cebu Province, Rhea Mar Angtud, DepEd Cebu Provincial Schools Division superintendent, said they have implemented the Universal Feeding Program.
Angtud said the program caters to all pupils from pre-school to Grade 3, regardless of whether they are malnourished or not, and with a budget of P16 per pupil.
The program was first pioneered in San Remigio, followed by Argao, Dalaguete and Balamban, said Angtud.
Angtud said the program only caters to nursery up to Grade 3 pupils because when the children reach Grade 4, they already know what to eat.
During feeding, they see to it that vegetables are served, she said.
Angtud said that after the pupils eat, they are taught to wash the utensils as a way of teaching them the value of discipline.
The challenge of the program, according to Angtud, is there are times classes are sacrificed because the teachers do the cooking themselves.
She hopes that with their partnership with the respective schools’ Parents-Teachers Association and local government units, teachers can focus on lessons.
The official encouraged other schools and municipalities to adopt the program.
“Through this, we can eradicate the wasted (malnourished children). Soon, in the future, the wasted will be zero,” Angtud said.
Meanwhile, Ambat hoped that DepEd would receive a higher budget so more students could avail themselves of the feeding program. She also wanted the program to be implemented during summer vacation. (JJL)