The Confederation of Traditional Stock Breeders Organization (CORET) says the integrated school feeding programme for nomadic pastoralist schools in Nigeria has recorded a large turnout of students.
The Secretary General of CORET, Muhammed Bello Tukur, stated this during a one-day retreat in Kaduna aimed at building the capacity of staff and partners on promoting school feeding.
The retreat reviewed the successes recorded in the past ten months since the programme began at Ladduga in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State and Maigatari in Jigawa State.
Muhammed Bello Tukur explained that the initiative focuses exclusively on nomadic pastoralist schools in the two states.
He noted that lack of feeding remains one of the major reasons children drop out of school, and that the programme engages local communities to provide meals for pupils.
According to him, food items are sourced directly from the communities, which are also involved in ensuring the quality of meals.
He added that CORET has provided boreholes to guarantee water supply for drinking and daily activities.
The Secretary General commended partners, particularly ECOWAS, alongside the Federal and State Governments, for their contributions to the programme’s success.
Also speaking, the Project Coordinator, Dr. Abdu Umar Ardo, described the programme as “a success story from nothing to something positive,” noting that both states have embraced the schooling of pastoralist children.
He urged stakeholders to sustain their commitment to achieving the overall goal.
In his presentation, Bashir Abbo highlighted findings that point to the urgent need for more qualified teachers, the revival of school management committees, and the strengthening of mothers’ associations, stressing that deploying more teachers would yield positive results.
Participants were drawn from Ladduga, while stakeholders from Maigatari in Jigawa State joined virtually.
COV: Adamu Yusuf
