THE     government spends approximately $600M every year on a school-feeding programme for children on Guyana’s coastland, Acting Minister of Education, Dr. Frank Anthony told Parliament on Thursday. He gave the information in response to a question raised by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman during the 34th sitting of the National Assembly.
Trotman had stated that a large number of children who reside and attend school on the coastland do so in impoverished situations and asked whether the Education Ministry is prepared to extend its scheme which provides meals to hinterland schoolchildren to the similarly needy on Guyana’s coastland.
Anthony, who is currently acting for Minister Priya Manickchand, pointed out that the Education Ministry is already addressing the coastline in one of three such programmes, the first being a fruit juice and fortified biscuit; the second a juice, cassava and peanut butter snack and the third a community-based hot meal.
According to him, the juice, cassava and peanut butter delivery benefits children from 38 nursery and 28 primary schools in Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
He said, further, the community-based hot meals are delivered in Regions 1 (Barima/Waini);7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni);  (Potaro/Siparuni) and 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo). 
           
More specifically, Anthony added that, collectively, 16,000 primary schoolchildren are benefiting at 47 schools in Region 1; 25 schools in Region 7; 17 schools in Region 8; and 20 schools in Region 9.
He disclosed that the cost of the hot meal programme is about $550M while the cassava and peanut butter snack programme costs nearly $50M. 
Anthony advised that there is the fruit juice and fortified biscuit programme which is a national one that targets all nursery and primary schoolchildren in grades one and two, including those on the country’s coastland.
He said that benefits some 45,068 children attending 306 nursery and 324 primary schools.
“So, in looking at these three programmes, we are covering the entire country and this particular one, the national fruit juice and fortified biscuits programme, is costing us about $600 million per year,” Anthony said.
Trotman asked whether the Education Ministry is prepared to do a pilot study in Georgetown to ascertain the prevalence of children in impoverished situations.
Anthony replied that, some years ago, the Ministries of Health and Education, on implementing these feeding programmes, would have done studies and based on those, came up with the target groups that are being addressed.