The Federal Government has begun biometric data capturing of 95,983 pupils in Osun to improve health and education of public primary school pupils in the state.
The Team Lead for National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in the state, Mr Taiwo Bashorun, disclosed this during the capturing and verification of pupils, on Tuesday in Ifon/Ilobu in Orolu Local Government Area of the state.
Bashorun said that the federal government was feeding pupils 1,460 public primary schools in the state.
He said that the feeding programme was to ensure that every single child in the country had access to education by providing, at least, one meal per day to motivate enrollment.
“We have been in the state since June 28 to verify and validate the number of pupils sent by the state government to the Ministry of Humanitarians Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Abuja.
“We want to capture and validate 95,983 pupils in 1,460 public primary schools for the school feeding programme across the state,” he said.
Bashorun, however, decried the poor quality and quantity of food served to the pupils in some of the schools visited.
“The food being served to the pupils is low in quality and in quantity.
“We are going to find out from the vendors what the problem is and appropriate action will be taken,” he said.
One of the vendors, Mrs Kafayat Filani, who spoke with newsmen at AUD Primary School, Ilobu, commended the federal government for the programme.
Filani, who said that she had been in the programme in the last two years, however, appealed to the federal government to make more funds available for the scheme.
Also, a Primary Two pupil in the school, Fatimoh Mohammed , said that she was always looking forward to eating the food during break time.
Mohammed appealed to the federal government not to stop the school feeding programme. (NAN)
