….Decries prisoner’s daily ration of N1,500, student’s N533.55k

By Adesina Wahab

The African Principals Conference (APC) has raised concerns over the poor feeding of students in boarding schools within federal and state unity colleges, calling the allocated funds for this purpose grossly inadequate.

The group criticized the disparity in daily feeding allocations, noting that while inmates in correctional facilities are allocated N1,500 per day, students in boarding schools receive only about N533.55k per day.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, dated October 2, 2024, APC urged the minister to address this issue at the next National Council of Education (NCE) meeting. The NCE includes the two ministers in charge of education, all education commissioners, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB), examination bodies, parent forums, and other key stakeholders.

The letter, signed by APC Founder Mr. Ayodele Joseph, was titled “Addressing the Funding Gap in the Feeding of Students in the Boarding Houses of Federal and State Unity Colleges.” It stressed that inadequate feeding can lead to several issues, including increased bullying in unity and model colleges.

In a follow-up interview, Joseph emphasized that the absence of a clear policy on student feeding requires urgent attention, as it affects both learning and student outcomes. “Poor feeding impacts effective learning. If a prisoner’s daily ration is N1,500 and students in federal colleges receive N533.55k, in FCT colleges N500, and Lagos Model Colleges N1,111, the system will suffer,” he said.

Joseph pointed out that this funding gap has already affected students’ academic performance, citing how some unity and model colleges dropped out of the top 1,000 schools in external examinations like those conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in 2021.

He also expressed concern that underfunding could fuel corrupt practices among school administrators, who are expected to feed students on insufficient funds that may not even be released on time.

Additionally, Joseph warned that hunger among students could exacerbate cases of bullying, a concern highlighted by a baseline study his organization conducted on bullying in schools. The APC has since organized the “Bullying and Violence in Schools Impact Summit,” scheduled to take place in Abuja and Lagos.

From their research, Joseph noted that many schools lack policies on bullying, particularly high-fee private schools where teachers may hesitate to discipline students. He urged school administrators to implement clear policies and standard operating procedures to curb bullying and promote a safe learning environment.