Bridging the Gap in School Attendance between Riverine and Non-Riverine Areas: The Home-Grown School Feeding
Abstract:
The research is on bridging the gap in school attendance between riverine and non-riverine areas: the home-grown school feeding. This survey-based study used an ex-pose-facto research approach to collect data from primary/elementary school teachers in the Ethiope-West and Warri-South-West senatorial zones of Delta State. The respondents were 489 primary 1–3 teachers spread across two LGAs. A questionnaire titled “School Attendance in Riverine and Non-Riverine (SARNA) was the instrument used to collect data. The instrument’s reliability was tested using the test re-test method on 20 teachers from other local government areas. Pearson r coefficient of .80 was obtained, thereby making the instrument reliable. Descriptive statistics were employed to address the research questions, while a t-test was utilised to test the hypotheses at a 0.5 significant level. The findings showed that school attendance improved with the school feeding programme. Therefore, the study recommended that the programme be continued through government funding, publicised, and improved feeding quality. It is also recommended that parents be encouraged to send their children to public primary schools so that they can benefit from the school feeding programme.
KeyWords:
Bridging the Gap in School Attendance, Primary School, Riverine and Non-riverine, Home-Grown School Feeding Programme
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