We drink water to stop hunger – Malnourished pupils

Nigeria is one of the five countries with half of the world’s malnourished children.Motunrayo Aboderin writes on how some of these children cope in Lagos

Every morning, 12-year-old Francis Ikechukwu, a pupil of Ojodu Berger Grammar School, walks to school on an empty stomach. Drinking only a cup of tea to hold his hunger, Ikechukwu has to sit in a congested classroom with little ventilation for about six hours before going on break.

He said, “I just have a cup of tea every morning. I usually get hungry during lessons and then I drink water to stop the hunger.” When asked why he does not eat a proper meal before going to school, Ikechukwu said, “That is what my mum gives me, I can’t complain.”

There is also nine-year-old Olum Ayaba seen walking around his school – Vetland Grammar School, Agege, barefooted. On a daily basis, he gets to school around 6:30am to join his mates in sweeping and cleaning the school premises before the morning assembly. Before leaving his house, Ayaba said, “My mum usually gives me rice. For lunch, I eat N20 rice, and then in the night, I’ll eat rice.”

A vendor at the school who chose to remain anonymous said that about 60 per cent of the children don’t eat breakfast at home and 20 per cent of them don’t have money to buy food in school.

She said, “These children come to school hungry. Some of them don’t even have money to buy food. It is either they come to beg for snacks at my shop, or move around with their friends that come to school with food. By the time they have one spoon here, another spoon there; they will drink water and go back to class. It is really sad.”

Twelve-year-old Segun Umar, a pupil of Orile Community High School, Lagos, walks to school with no breakfast. Common breakfast menu such as bread and egg or cornflakes sounds like a foreign language in his ears.

On a good day, his mum gives him garri and water for breakfast, for lunch, he either buys N50 jollof rice without meat or he buys three packets of biscuit and a sachet of pure water. His pocket money for a month is N1,000.

He said, “I don’t usually have breakfast. Sometimes, I drink only water in the morning or I buy biscuit. My family does not have too much money. I have to manage the little money my parents give me. Sometimes in class, I get so hungry. My stomach starts hurting me.” On a daily basis, he has to wait till he gets home after school before he eats a good meal.

A teacher who pleaded anonymity said, “The government can at least provide one meal for these children. Some of these children are from broken homes, and some have parents who are not financially stable. When a child is hungry, it will affect his concentration in class. One meal is not too much.”

Even though these children buy lunch worth N10 or N20 at school, findings by our correspondent shows that the quantity served for them is very small.

In December 2011, the Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, said government was working on the possibility of providing free meals for primary school children, from primary one to six.

She said, “We are working to create an atmosphere where primary school children, from primary one to six, will have access to a meal. With the free meal policy, these children will have access to a meal during the school periods, Monday through Friday.” But six months later, the policy has yet to kick off.

Aside the above public schools, indications from other public schools our correspondent visited showed that they neither received a free meal nor milk from the government. Even getting companies to sponsor the supply of food items to public schools is a major challenge.

At the 2011 World Milk Day, a company wanted to give free milk sachets to pupils at a public school in Ilupeju. The offer was turned down because the school said it had not got a letter of consent from the government. Realising that the school authorities were not ready to accept the offer, the company gave the free milk sachets and drinks to a private school nearby.

A parent, Mr. Chima James, who hails from Imo State, said he was only able to afford a cup of tea for his son who attends Ogundele Community Grammar School and that parents like him would be glad if government could provide free meals for pupils.

He said, “I’m an Okada rider, I don’t make so much money. I give my son tea in the morning and N50 to buy rice in school. In Imo State, the government has not only declared free education, it also provides free meals for pupils.

“There is nothing stopping the Lagos State government from applying that policy.”

Another parent, Mrs. Olayinka Adetunji, whose child attends a private school said, “I can never enrol my child in a public school. The teachers don’t have time for your children. And I don’t blame them. If one is poorly paid, the desire to put in one’s best will be low. Even the classrooms in public schools are in a terrible state. The Lagos State government has succeeded in refurbishing a few public schools. If you go into the inner parts of Lagos, you will see public schools that are in a terrible state.”

Children who may be in the same situation as Francis Ikechukwu said they would be glad if the Lagos State government could implement its free meal policy.

When our correspondent attempted to contact Adeshina, she neither picked her calls nor responded to a text message that was sent to her mobile phone.

But the Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Education, Lagos, Mr. Lanre Bajulaiye, in a telephone interview said, “At the moment, government is focusing on just children with special needs. We provide snacks and light refreshments for them only. The aim is to increase enrolment and encourage parents to enrol these children in schools, despite their disabilities. Government can’t provide free meals for all children in public schools. Parents have to be in charge. They should ensure that they give their children breakfast and some money to take care of their lunch.”

A United Kingdom based charity organisation, Save the Children, in an article lists Nigeria as one of the five countries where half of the world’s malnourished children live.

Speaking on the children’s nutrition, a nutritionist, Mrs. Seyifunmi Akojede, said, “It is an ideal thing for a child to take light food for breakfast and some children take theirs’ by 6.30, 7.30, 8.00am before going to school. This time is still early in the morning, therefore the food should not be heavy type but light and enough to sustain him or her till lunch time and not the heavy food that will make him/her to dose off in the class.”

article from punchng.com