Zambia’s Education Minister, Hon. Douglas Syakalima, has announced the government’s ambitious plan to expand the School Feeding Programme, with a target of increasing the number of beneficiaries from 2.3 million to 5 million children by 2025. This initiative is part of the government’s broader efforts to ensure that more children stay in school and benefit from proper nutrition, which is essential for their growth and learning.
Currently, the programme is being implemented in 116 districts across Zambia, benefiting children in 5,300 schools. Hon. Syakalima shared these developments while attending the 24th Global Child Nutrition Forum in Osaka, Japan. The forum, which runs for four days, is focused on the development and implementation of school meal programmes that support the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
The Education Minister emphasized the positive impact the School Feeding Programme has had on schoolchildren. With the recent introduction of free education, the increase in school enrolment has been significant. The School Feeding Programme plays a critical role in ensuring that children continue attending school by providing them with nutritious meals, helping to boost attendance and academic performance.
The theme of the forum, “School Meal Programmes in an Era of Food Systems Transformation,” reflects the growing importance of school meal initiatives in the context of global food security and nutrition. Japan was selected as the host country for the 2024 forum due to its exemplary school lunch and nutrition education programs, which are models of success in addressing child nutrition challenges.
Hon. Syakalima also noted that the forum serves as a valuable platform for learning exchanges and technical assistance, contributing to the global effort to improve child nutrition. The Zambian government aims to build on these insights to further enhance its own school meal programmes.
With Zambia’s ongoing commitment to improving education and nutrition for children, the expanded School Feeding Programme is set to play a pivotal role in the country’s educational and developmental progress in the coming years.
