For the first time in history, nearly half the world’s schoolchildren in low/middle-income countries have a meal at school. That corresponds to nearly 370 million children, and half of those children are girls. But there is still a lot to be done.
Too many children around the world still don’t have any food before they go to school and this makes it hard for them to concentrate and learn. Others give up and don’t go, staying behind to help their families. Having a meal at school can improve their health, nutrition and their performance. It is also a strong incentive for attendance.
On this 24th of January the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Education, a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to honour education and its centrality to human well-being and sustainable development.
The impact of school feeding programmes in education
School feeding is more than just a plate of food. It produces high returns in education and gender equality, health, nutrition, social protection, local economies and agriculture. School feeding programmes can also help with school attendance and increase enrolment.
Over the last ten years, we have seen a growing global consensus that school feeding programmes generate a lasting impact that can shape the future of a nation. School feeding is increasingly recognised as a major investment in both human capital and in local economies which has accelerated country-led demand. It is seen as playing an important role not only in emergency contexts but also in social stability, peace-building and national development.
Studies of 45 school meals programmes around the world revealed that children receiving a school meal during the entire school year attend school 4-7 days more than children who do not receive school meals. Also, a systematic review of 216 education programmes in 52 low- and middle-income countries found that school feeding programmes are one of the few education interventions that show positive impact in both school participation (enrolment, attendance, completion) and learning (scores on cognitive, language and mathematics tests).
3 key facts about education
• Education is a human right
The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, goes further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all.
• Education is key to sustainable development
When it adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, the international community recognized that education is essential for the success of all 17 of its goals. Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.
• Education helps children go further
Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. But about 265 million children and adolescents around the world do not have the opportunity to enter or complete school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable.
Learn more:
