School feeding: pupils speak in ‘Festival of voices’

Since Nigeria launched theHome Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP)in 2016, it has beenriddled with different challenges and successes. Primary school pupils,during a dissemination event of the program on Monday, dramatised their experiences so far with the programme, after two years of monitoring by the Nigerian Popular Theatre (NPTA) and other stakeholders.   All eyes and […]

Since Nigeria launched theHome Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP)in 2016, it has beenriddled with different challenges and successes. Primary school pupils,during a dissemination event of the program on Monday, dramatised their experiences so far with the programme, after two years of monitoring by the Nigerian Popular Theatre (NPTA) and other stakeholders.

 

All eyes and ears were on pupils from public primary schools in Kudan, Sabon Gari and Giwalocal government areas (LGAs) of Kaduna State. At the Model Primary School, Kudan, theytook centre stage, expressing their views on the HGSFP.

‘Waking up’ guests with the welcome song, ‘Mai barchiyafarka’ (The sleepers should wake…), the pupils, teased the audience for what was to come, with the lyrics of the song and funny gesticulations.

They staged the play, ‘Yabakyautatukuichi’ (‘The Gift of Gratitude’), which chronicled a typical home with a child, Musa, who is a beneficiary of the HGSFP.

The skit focused on the different challenges crippling the programme which went from vendors holding back some of the food items that they ought to use for the pupils.

The drama piece opened with mama Musa talking to herself, saying, “they gave me two crates and ten eggs. Should I take 20 or25? I will take only 20. That will be enough for the household, at least for awhile.”

Her husband overheard her and cautions sternly against her intention, warning that trust placed on her by the government should not be betrayed.

Clearly aware of the sharp practices and shortchanging going, the children also focused on challenges of the food not being served and reaching all pupils as some cooks are also being hampered from homes.They reenacted episodes of husbands denying their wives who are cooks, what is paid to them to provide the food.

Another scene was a tearful inconsolable Musa, disappointed over his lack of egg so much so that his father gave the principal a showdown, demanding that his son’s egg be produced.

Speaking on the dissemination and why drama was a significant tool, Prof. Steve Abah, NPTA Executive Director, said, the organisation’s overall concern is development, using primitive approaches to address community development issues. This is reason enough for theatre to be a platform where some of these issues are discussed.

Abahsaid, “when it comes to monitoring, apart from the usual instrument that is used in the Social Sciences, like interviews and focus group discussions, theatre is also a tool to air and hear people’s perspectives, visions and observations on the issues around them.

“School feeding is the issue in this case. The drama brought out very key issues that worry them as pupils, and was a very wonderful means of giving voice to them, as they ordinarily are in the development discussion.”

Giving them a voice to articulate like they did in the drama, means that the programme allows them to have a role. This was evident at the event as the programme officer in the State office and educational secretary, continuously referenced the drama in their talks and recognized that the pupils have a role as stakeholders to make input on the goings-on.

Speaking on issues raised like incomprehensive capturing of pupils and payment of cooks, Musa Ibrahim, Kaduna State HGSFP officer, said, “We have noted some of these challenges and even started working on them to make sure that every child is captured and every cook is paid to according to the number of pupils she is expected to feed.”

To curb the egg shortage problem, Ibrahim said, “egg sourcing has been decentralised and a meeting with the poultry association of Nigeria would ensure that eggs got to the nooks and crannies for the pupils.”

In his remark, Alhaji Ado Turaki, Vice Chairman of Kudan LGA, said the homegrown school feeding programme has made a huge difference in our education system and has increased enrolment figure has dramatically improved in all the schools where the feeding programme is in operation. It is no longer an issue of not having enough children, it is now the problem of how government entities can address the many issues that the huge enrolment into school is showing us.

“I would like everyone to know that we are discussing those issues and finding ways to address them,” he said.

He said the children have put the cooks on their toes to perform better even in the schools that they are not monitoring. They hear the story that some people are monitoring ad they are not sure if they will show up in their school one day and be caught unawares!

While the government may have dealt with the bottleneck of vendors subletting their contracts, by issuing identity cards to authentic vendors and insisting head teachers only deal with those wearing them there are still pending issues. The pupils are hopeful that having made the effort to dramatize these difficulties, government will show true commitment to them, by taking action and resolving them.

The project which is a monitoring, transparency and accountability exercise of the HGSFP in 60 schools in the three LGAs is funded by the MacArthur Foundation and runs for one more year.