Influence of school feeding programme on acquisition of competencies in class activities among pre-primary school pupils in belgut sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Feeding programmes are critical for quality education to be realized in all learning institutions starting from Pre-primary to higher levels globally. When there is no provision of meals to children in school, they lack the energy to concentrate in classroom and co-curricular activities. It also weakens their intellectual ability and may hinder the development of competencies among pre-primary school learners. In this study, it was assumed that the provision of meals to pupils in school influences the acquisition of competencies among the learners. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to establish the influence of School Feeding Programmes on the acquisition of competencies in classroom activities among the learners in pre-primary schools in Belgut Sub-County, Kericho County. The study was guided by Abraham Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs, as it stresses the fundamental requirements of basic needs (food), which increases the satisfaction of an individual (learner). The study used a descriptive survey design with a population of 85 pre-primary schools. Headteachers were eighty-five (85) and pre-primary school teachers were one hundred and seventy (170), giving a total of 255 respondents. A sample size of 189 respondents was derived comprising of 70 headteachers and 119 pre-primary school teachers. The study employed stratified random sampling to draw respondents from the target population. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaires and interview schedules for teachers and headteachers respectively. The analysis of the collected data was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics were used to show the relationship between the dependent and the independent variables and was presented in form of correlation analysis. The study findings revealed that children who are consistently provided with meals East African Journal of Education Studies, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2020 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.2.1.259 212 in school concentrated well in class activities. There existed a significant correlation (p<0.05) between competencies in classroom activities and school feeding programmes. The school feeding programmes enabled learners to actively participate and concentrate on school activities and enhanced competency acquisition. Some of the recommendations were that the county and national government need to fully implement the school feeding programmes and that the sustainability of the programme is vital to increased competency acquisition rate among Pre-Primary school learners.