Jigawa’s school feeding expansion revives debate on tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis

Jigawa State’s decision to expand the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme to pupils in primary four, five and six has reignited debate over the role of school feeding in tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, one of the largest in the world.

Education experts say the state’s intervention could provide a model for other states seeking to improve school enrolment, reduce dropout rates and strengthen learning outcomes, particularly across northern Nigeria, where the burden of out-of-school children remains highest.

Umar Namadi, governor of Jigawa State, announced the expansion while receiving members of the North-West Strategic Committee on the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), led by Mudassir Nasiru, during a courtesy visit to the Government House in Dutse.

The move makes Jigawa the first state to publicly extend the programme beyond the Federal Government’s current coverage of pupils in primary one, two and three.

Namadi said the state government decided to fund meals for pupils in primary four, five and six to ensure children continue benefiting from the programme throughout their primary education.

According to him, the National Social Investment Programme remains one of the Federal Government’s most impactful interventions for vulnerable households through initiatives such as the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme and other social protection programmes.

He noted that extending the feeding programme has improved school enrolment, attendance and retention while creating economic opportunities for local farmers, food vendors and other participants across the agricultural value chain.

“While the Federal Government is implementing the programme for pupils in primary one, two and three, the Jigawa State Government is implementing it for pupils in primary four, five and six. I believe we are the only state in the country that has complemented the programme in this way,” Namadi said.

He added that improving the welfare of vulnerable residents remains a key priority of his administration and aligns with the state’s 12-point development agenda and the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Earlier, Mudassir Nasiru, chairman of the North-West Strategic Committee on the National Social Investment Programme, said the committee was engaging state governments across the region to deepen ownership of the programme and strengthen collaboration with the Federal Government.

Nasiru said expanding the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme would improve food security, increase school enrolment, stimulate local agricultural production and strengthen economic activities across the agricultural value chain.

School feeding and Nigeria’s education challenge

Nigeria’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme has become one of the country’s most significant education and social protection initiatives since it was relaunched in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme.

Although the school feeding concept was first introduced through pilot schemes in 2005 as part of efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, implementation remained inconsistent until the programme was revived during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Under the current framework, pupils in primary one to three in public schools receive one nutritious meal each school day. Food is sourced from local farmers and prepared by community-based cooks, creating a direct link between education, nutrition and rural economic development.

Beyond addressing hunger, the programme aims to improve school enrolment and attendance, reduce dropout rates, enhance pupils’ concentration and stimulate local agricultural production.

World’s largest out-of-school population

Nigeria continues to face one of the gravest education challenges globally.

According to the latest estimates by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about 18.3 million Nigerian children are out of school, the highest number recorded by any country in the world.

More than half of these children live in northern Nigeria, where poverty, insecurity, child labour, early marriage, displacement, inadequate educational infrastructure and socio-cultural barriers continue to limit access to education.

The North-West geopolitical zone bears the greatest burden, with Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara accounting for a significant proportion of children who are either never enrolled in school or who drop out before completing basic education.

UNICEF estimates indicate that Kano State has the country’s largest out-of-school population, with more than 900,000 children outside the formal education system. Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi and Sokoto also record several hundred thousand out-of-school children each, while Jigawa continues to face enrolment and retention challenges despite recent improvements.

The North-East, affected by more than a decade of insurgency and displacement, also records high numbers of out-of-school children, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where conflict has disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of children.

Bala Sani, an educationist with the Kano State School Management Board (KSSMB), said while insecurity dominates discussions in the North-East, poverty remains the major driver of school exclusion across much of the North-West.

According to him, many children engage in street trading, farming, domestic work and other informal economic activities to support household incomes, while girls are disproportionately affected by early marriage and domestic responsibilities.

Why school feeding matters

Education experts say school feeding remains one of the most effective incentives for attracting and retaining children in school.

For many low-income households, the assurance that a child will receive one nutritious meal each school day reduces household food expenses and encourages parents to enrol and keep their children in school.

Research across several African countries has shown that school feeding programmes improve attendance, reduce absenteeism, increase classroom concentration and enhance academic performance.

The programme also helps retain pupils who might otherwise abandon school because of hunger or economic hardship.

For girls, school feeding has been associated with higher retention rates and lower dropout rates, particularly in communities where families struggle to meet basic nutritional needs.

Economic impact beyond education

The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme also serves as an agricultural and economic development initiative.

By sourcing food locally, the programme creates a reliable market for smallholder farmers producing rice, beans, vegetables, eggs, fish and fruits.

Thousands of women engaged as cooks earn regular incomes through the initiative, while transporters, food processors, traders and agricultural cooperatives also benefit from increased commercial activities.

Development economists argue that every naira invested in school feeding generates wider economic returns by stimulating local food production, creating jobs and supporting rural livelihoods.

Why Jigawa’s decision matters

Policy experts believe Jigawa’s expansion addresses one of the major gaps in the current National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

Under the Federal Government’s framework, pupils stop receiving meals after primary three despite remaining in primary school for another three years.

By extending coverage to primary four, five and six, Jigawa hopes to sustain attendance and reduce dropout rates during the upper primary years, when many children begin leaving school because of economic pressures.

Mercy Musa, executive director of the Frontier for Peace Advocacy and Governance Initiative (FPAGI), a Kano-based non-governmental organisation, said the initiative could become a model for other states if backed by sustainable funding, transparency and effective monitoring.

She, however, stressed that school feeding alone would not solve Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis. According to her, the programme should be complemented by improved school infrastructure, the recruitment of qualified teachers, enhanced security, conditional cash transfers for poor households, stronger enforcement of compulsory basic education laws and sustained public enlightenment campaigns.

Nevertheless, analysts believe Jigawa’s intervention demonstrates how state governments can complement federal initiatives in addressing one of Nigeria’s most pressing development challenges.

As governments intensify efforts to reduce the country’s out-of-school population, the expansion of school feeding programmes is increasingly being viewed not merely as a welfare intervention but as a strategic investment in education, food security, poverty reduction and long-term economic growth.