Govt promises long-term support for school meals programme
 
The government is committed to continuing to support school feeding programmes as part of the National School Meals Programme, to ensure sustainability and strengthen local ownership in more than 900 schools.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ministry of Education and Sports on Wednesday presided over a handover ceremony for school feeding programmes at 915 WFP-supported schools in 22 districts of eight provinces.
The ceremony celebrated the handover of programmes at schools in Luang Namtha, Phongsaly, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Khammuan, Saravan, Xekong and Attapeu.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Education and Sports, Associate Prof. Dr Phout Simmalavong, said “School meals have been instrumental in keeping children in classrooms so they can learn and concentrate with full bellies. These school feeding programmes supported by WFP since the early 2000s have benefited hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren across the country.”
“The Lao government is committed to continuing to support these schools as part of the National School Meals Programme,” he confirmed.
According to WFP, sustainability and national ownership have been the joint goals of the ministry and WFP from the early years. In 2010, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the gradual transfer of the school meals programme to the government, together with the World Bank.
In 2018, a handover plan was signed between the ministry and WFP outlining the timeline and support measures agreed upon in the lead-up to the handover.
In line with the handover plan, WFP initially handed over school feeding programmes at 515 schools in Luang Namtha, Phongsaly and Oudomxay provinces in 2019.
Building on the success of this initial handover, the ceremony celebrated the handover of programmes at an additional 915 schools in eight provinces.
WFP Country Director and Representative, Jan Delbaere, thanked all the partners that had supported schoolchildren. From donors to the Lao government at all levels, and from WFP’s implementing partners and District Community Facilitators, everyone contributed so that healthy, well-nourished children can learn better, he said.
“Today is a milestone in the transition of the school feeding programmes towards full national ownership. But WFP will still assist the Lao government and communities to build a sustainable government-led and community-run National School Meals Programme, so that this generation of healthy and well-educated children can build the future of this country,” he added.
In 2002, the Ministry of Education and Sports and WFP started a pilot school meals programme for 30,000 primary school children in Phongsaly, Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces.
As the benefits of the programme became apparent, the school meals programme expanded over time to reach 140,000 children in 1,430 schools across Laos.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update November 4, 2021)