Beyond Enrolment: School Feeding Programme Evaluation in Public Primary Schools in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

School feeding programmes are increasingly understood as multidimensional interventions that combine nutrition, education, social protection and local economic development. This study evaluated the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) as implemented in public primary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria, across six outcome dimensions: nutrition and health; enrolment and attendance; educational outcomes; local agriculture support; employment and empowerment; and social development and poverty reduction. The study was guided by Stufflebeam's Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) Evaluation Model and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory. A concurrent mixed-methods evaluation design was adopted, combining a descriptive survey, ex-post facto analysis of administrative records and qualitative interviews. Quantitative evidence was obtained from 1,191 valid respondents drawn from teachers, parents/guardians, head teachers, education officials, school health officers, cooks/vendors, farmers/suppliers and community leaders. The questionnaire recorded an overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of .95. Stakeholders rated nutrition and health very high (M = 3.52, SD = 0.54), enrolment and attendance very high (M = 3.51, SD = 0.53), educational outcomes high (M = 3.44, SD = 0.52), local agriculture support high (M = 3.44, SD = 0.55), employment and empowerment high (M = 3.48, SD = 0.51), and social development and poverty reduction high (M = 3.45, SD = 0.52). Particularly strong indicators included nutritional balance of meals (M = 3.72), employment creation (M = 3.72), women's empowerment through cook/vendor participation (M = 3.56), reliable markets for local farmers (M = 3.66), and reduction of household feeding costs (M = 3.56). Qualitative evidence corroborated benefits in educational access, nutritional wellbeing, social cohesion and community economic activity. Official enrolment records available for 2019–2022 showed cumulative enrolment of 872,361 pupils, comprising 462,352 urban and 410,009 rural enrolments. Enrolment declined from 236,445 in 2019 to 183,372 in 2020, before recovering to 225,567 in 2021 and 226,977 in 2022. However, participants identified funding instability, delayed payments, variation in meal quality, monitoring weaknesses and incomplete inclusion of smallholder farmers as continuing vulnerabilities. The study concludes that the programme generated perceived benefits across multiple dimensions and functioned as a broad social investment rather than merely a feeding intervention, although its sustainability and equity depend on reliable implementation.