Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Hang Chuon Naron said the dropout rate in primary schools has decreased and there has been an increase in regular enrolment since the introduction of school feeding programmes.

According to the minister, the programmes have been implemented in more than 1,000 schools across 10 provinces.

Chuon Naron made the remarks during an inauguration ceremony for school kitchens, dining halls and sanitation facilities in Kampong Chhnang province on January 24. Also present were World Food Programme (WFP) country director Claire Conan and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) country director Rho Hyunjun.

“Since the programme started, we have noticed a reduction in dropout rates and a boost in the retention rate.

“Providing children with nutrient-rich foods through free school meals strongly motivates families to send and keep their children in school while easing the burden on households,” the minister was quoted as saying in a joint press release on January 24.

According to the press statement, WFP provides meals to 320,000 students in 1,114 targeted schools across 10 provinces. Studies have shown that nutritious foods increase students’ focus, leading to better learning outcomes.

The school feeding programme in Cambodia was included in the National Education Policy Framework and the Social Protection Policy Framework in order to promote human resource development through accessibility to education for kindergarten and primary school children. It also provides a safety net for vulnerable families, the statement said.

WFP’s Curan thanked KOICA for its support of school feeding in Cambodia.

During the school closures brought about by Covid-19, KOICA agreed to change from providing school meals to temporarily distributing food to poor families in order to continue providing nutrition, helping children continue their studies at home, she said.

“They are flexible and forward-thinking,” she added.

KOICA began supporting school feeding programmes in Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang and Pursat provinces in 2020, and has allocated total funding of $10 million, enough for a four-year period.

The grant has allowed the construction of standard model kitchens, dining halls and sanitation infrastructure in many schools to facilitate safe, hygienic and efficient school meals.

KOICA’s Hyunjun said he was delighted that the home-grown school feeding programme had fully resumed, ensuring that children were able to go to school, receive nutritious meals and study to the best of their ability.

“Education is such a game changer for a country’s development, and we don’t want to leave any child behind. We hope our humble contribution will play a role in this,” he said.

Now that schools have fully reopened for the school year, the school feeding programme has resumed, ensuring that children receive nutritious food at least once a day to support their education and development.