FG vows to discourage absenteeism among school pupils via feeding prog

FEDERAL government has through its Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Abuja, delivered cartons of the National Home Grown School Feeding (NHGSF) Programme enumeration forms to the Anambra State Directorate of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Awka, for onward distribution to the benefiting primary schools across the state.

 Presenting the forms to the Anambra State Director, NOA, Charles Nwoji, during a brief ceremony, held at the corporate headquarters of the agency in Awka,  the Minister of  Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk, stated that one of the advantages of the programme is to encourage school enrolment as well as discourage absenteeism in schools across the country.

 While urging the NOA Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers to assist the ministry in achieving the onerous task, the minister, who was represented by the team leader of the programme in the state for monitoring of enumeration exercise,  Mr Austin Nzegwu, said that the reports on the enumeration exercise so far had indicated that the programme would also help the ministry for proper budgeting, assuring the people that the ministry would be regular in updates through data generation for the programme in the state.

 The minister further charged the NOA Field Officers to perform the duty expected of them in the course of the exercise with commitment and high sense of humility for all-round success of the programme in the state.

 In his remarks, the state consultant for NHGSF programme, Bernard Okafor appealed to the officers to ensure that the forms will be evenly distributed with a view to forestalling unforeseen mistakes during and after the exercise.

 He noted that the beneficiaries are primary one, two and  three pupils in the state, pleading with the NOA officers to kindly handle the forms to avoid unnecessary mistakes  that would affect  children not to be captured in the course of the exercise.

 Also, the state Programme Manager of the NHGF programme, Mrs Uzoamaka Eriken, expressed delight over the timely response of the NOA field officers and reminded them that the forms were meant to be distributed to the right primary school pupils in the state through collaboration and teamwork.

 Responding, the NOA State Director, Nwoji, added that the programme would no doubt boost in a greater measure school enrolment in the state, stressing that the agency is collaborating in the programme with a view to ensuring even distribution of the forms and effective sensitisation of the public on the programme.

 The event, which featured official handover of the enumeration forms to the NOA Director, Nwoji, was graced by Mr Ndubisi Okoye of the National Bureau of Statistics, Abuja.