IMPACT OF SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MAKURDI TOWN

Abstract

Nutrition is crucial in the child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Most primary schools in Makurdi town admit children from disadvantaged households. These children have no guarantee of daily meals due to their poor socio-economic background. The problem of malnutrition and its effects on brain development, physical and intellectual functioning has tremendous implications. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of school feeding programme on academic performance of primary school students in Makurdi town. The study is anchored on Abraham Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Need theory (1943). Maslow (1943), proposed the idea that all human beings had a hierarchy of needs hierarchy of human needs (HHN). Maslow believed that every human being had several layers of needs, beginning at the base, each layer need must be met before someone can meet the needs of the next layer. The study adopted a mixed research methodology. The study reveals that quality of food provided has a significant impact on the academic perfomance of primary school students and that quantity of food provided have a significant impact on the academic performance of primary school students. Again, that there is a significant impact between the frequency of food provided to primary school students and their academic performance. The study concludes that poor food quality, low quantity of food and irregular provision of meals to primary school students have significantly impacted primary school students’ academic performance in Makurdi town and recommends the sensitization of school administrators on the need to ensure that food supplied to the primary school students is adequate and contain the nutritional value crucial for the growth and development of the primary school students; and that the food should be prepared under hygienic conditions to avoid food poisoning among the primary school students.