The Impact of School Feeding Programme on Pupils’ Enrollment, Attendance and Retention in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region

Abstract

This study accessed the impact of School Feeding Programme on pupils’ enrollment, attendance and retention in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region. The change theory was adopted for the study with the conceptual framework stemming from the researcher’s own construction. The study used a descriptive survey design embedded in the quantitative research methods. The target population were head teachers, teachers, and pupils from the beneficiary schools. Mixed method sampling was used to draw out two hundred and sixty-five (265) respondents the study. The secondary data was obtained from the Sekyere South District Education Office whilst the secondary data was obtained by the use of a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using by employing graphs, simple frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviations. The study found that, schools within the Sekyere South District which are beneficiaries of the GSFP have recorded an increment in their pupils’ enrollment, attendance and retention from 2008-2022 and are projected to upsurge in the years ahead. Finally, before the programme was not run in the District, pupils’ welfare was not encouraging especially those from weak financial backgrounds thereby affecting their education negatively but after its implementation, significant changes were observed in pupils’ attitudes towards schooling which in turn boosted their academic success, coping well at school just to mention but few. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ghana Educational Service should extend the program to all public basic schools to increase pupils’ enrollment, attendance and retention the former and to achieve the MDGs the latter. Conclusively, the implementation committees at the Sekyere South District should continue to monitor the quality and quantity of the daily meals provided for pupils since it is a factor motivating parents to enroll and keep their children in school