Shangombo pupils shun school after collapse of feeding programme

Deputy head teacher at Mutomena Basic School in Shangombo district, Humphrey Mukolola has advised government to revise the pupils’ feeding programme in order to increase the school attendance.

Mr. Mukolola told ZANIS at his school today that there was low pupils’ attendance at school following the discontinuity of the feeding programme at the school.

He said before the feeding programme was discontinued, many pupils were attending classes.

“My appeal to government is to consider introducing the feeding programme as you know too well when the children are hungry they stop attending school,” he said.

He disclosed that the school has also recorded a number of early marriages and pregnancies among girls.

He said from October last year, the school has recorded 25 pregnancies, a situation that has worried him especially that most of the girls in the area were not willing to go back to school after giving birth.

Mr. Mukolola has however accused parents of discouraging the pupils’ to resume school after giving birth.

He said most parents in the area do not see the benefit of educating their children.

“Some parents have quarried the reason for taking back their girl children to school after delivering when they can help the family to raise money for the household,” he said.

He has since appealed to government to revise the child find committee which he said was active and doing a noble job in monitoring pupils in the area.

Mr. Mukolola said the child find committee, which is no longer active, was formed to help encourage children in the area to attend school.