School feeding program targeting 10 million students

CAIRO - 2 September 22017: Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Walli said the School Feeding Program is targeting more than 10 million students of kindergarten and primary stages.

The program, that costs the government 1.1 billion pounds, boosts State efforts to ease financial burdens on needy families, alleviate poverty, bring down school dropping rate and improve students' nutrition, Walli said in an interview with MENA.

The World Bank is one of the major contributors to the program.

Walli said she was assigned by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail to review in coordination with the education and health ministries annual plans of school feeding program ahead of the start of the new academic year.

She added that the National School Feeding Program presented a number of recommendations to make sure students are given a highly-nutrient and healthy meals.

Walli said she is keen to draw on the experiment of other countries, including the US, in this field to improve the quality of school meals.

Last year, the government launched a plan to expand the program to reach all government-run schools.