School Feeding On Pupils’ Attendance and Academic Performance in Selected Primary Schools in Ijara District, Kenya.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to establish the extent to which school feeding enhances students’ attendance and performance in selected primary schools in Ijara district, Kenya. Specifically, the study wanted to establish the relation of feeding program on both attendance and performance of students and to establish the level of involvement of PTA in school feeding of selected primary schools in Ijara district, Kenya. The study was correlational in nature based on quantitative approach involving twenty head teachers and fifty parents who were selected from two education zones using purposive sampling. Primary data were collected using researcher made questionnaires and analysed by summary statistics (e.g. Mean and standard deviations), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson Linear Co-efficient. The study found significant relationship between school feeding and students’ attendance and performance, as well as a positive relationship between PTA involvement and success of school feeding. This led to conclusions that provision of meals to students at school, significantly increases their attendance, students who are fed adequately are likely to perform better than those who are not and that participation of parents in school feeding leads to its success. It was therefore recommended that provision of meals to students at school, should be increased in order to improve students attendance and performance, Meals should be provided regularly and in adequate quantities to students to attract them to attend classes, and the skills and capacity of parents in Ijara district should be enhanced to initiate a school-based feeding program.