The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has called on the Federal Government to involve it in the planning and implementation of the modified National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).
The National President, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
NAN reports that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development had modified the NHGSF to provide food items to pupils at home since schools were closed.
This followed the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, to mitigate the effect of the Coronavirus lockdown on pupils, particularly those that depend on the school feeding programme for their daily meals.
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Based on the modified programme, which implementation had commenced, households with children in primary one to three are entitled to a voucher for a five kilogramme each of rice and beans.
Other food items are vegetable and palm oil, salt, half crates of eggs, and 40 gramme of tomato paste.
Danjuma however, said that NAPTAN, as the number one stakeholder in education and mouthpiece of all parents in the country, should be involved in the process.
He also said that the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) was also not consulted.
“We are very concerned because we have no clue on how the ministry intends to implement the programme.
“For example, how will the ministry locate our children while they are with us at home? How often are they going to be fed? These and so many other questions are bothering us as parents.
“PTA and NUT played a significant role in curbing the spread of Ebola in schools, indicating that consulting parents on matters that affect their children are the best way to go.
“We are surprised that issues affecting our children are being discussed and implemented without our voice as parents. We find this very disturbing,” Danjuma said.
He urged the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, to consult the federal and state ministries of education, PTA, NUT, and other relevant stakeholders in handling issues concerning children.