Feeding programs to continue in face-to-face classes: DepEd

In a virtual press conference, Briones said most feeding and nutritional activities happen in the barangay (village) level since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. (File photo: DepEd Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – School-based feeding programs will continue in public schools where face-to-face classes are allowed to protect learners from the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones said on Monday.

In a virtual press conference, Briones said most feeding and nutritional activities happen in the barangay (village) level since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.

“They have this practice of distributing grocery bags and from the private sector. Direct feeding programs by the local government units ang nangyayari (are happening [at the moment]),” she added.

DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said the department’s assistant secretaries for administration, regional directors and school health officials would hold a meeting about the school-based feeding programs on Tuesday.

“Maghaharap ang administration kung paano nila ipo-propose itong (The administration will meet on how they’ll propose this) school feeding program in the context where distance learning might be a major modality and not face-to-face [learning],” Malaluan said.

He noted that under the Bayanihan We Heal As One Act, the school-based feeding program is among the programs identified as priorities for augmentation, rather than cuts.

“Siguro ang kadahilanan kung bakit protected expenditure ito ay dahil isa rin itong porma ng social amelioration (Since this is also a form of social amelioration, this could be the reason why it’s a protected expenditure),” he said.

The DepEd through its school-based feeding program provides meals for all severely wasted and wasted learners in the kindergarten to grade levels.

The program aims to improve the nutritional status of such learners by at least 70 percent at the end of 120 feeding days and to increase classroom attendance by 85 to 100 percent, improving the learner’s health and nutrition values and behavior.