ABSTRACT
The study determined the teachers’ experiences on the implementation of School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP)in school year 2022-2023 as basis for enhanced school action plan for beneficiaries in the District IV-C Jaro, Iloilo City for the school year 2024-2025. From a total of 1158 SBFP recipients, 245 were severely wasted, and 518 were wasted based on their nutritional status. When based on their height, 253 were severely stunted. Participants’ experiences based on in-depth interview on the implementation of School-Based Feeding Program were problem on transportation in getting the food, parents’ involvement, and proper implementation and monitoring. The hindering factors they encountered were lack of budget and difficulties in transportation, distance of school to residence, additional workload for teachers, absence of feeding room, taste of the food, and absenteeism. The facilitating factors they experienced on the implementation of SBFP were on the coordination with parents and on how to seek support from other stakeholders. It was found out based on the results of the study, that an enhanced action plan is necessary and it should highlight areas that require attention but are not covered by the School District’s school-based action plan, particularly of Uswag San Isidro Elementary School.
INTRODUCTION
Currently, 795 million people worldwide suffer from undernourishment. In other words, 1 in 9 individuals do not consume enough food to maintain good health and an active lifestyle. In reality, the combined threats of AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis are less serious to world health than poverty and malnutrition. Fortunately, the good thing is that there is a simple solution to hunger. There is no need for scientific advancements because there is sufficient food worldwide to supply everyone. The issue can be resolved with the use of modern knowledge, instruments, and policies as well as political will (United Nations World Food Programme, 2016).
UNICEF Statistics (2016) state that Asia has 16 million severely wasted and 50 million wasted children under five, with malnutrition being a significant issue. The Philippines, with one in three children experiencing stunting ranks fifth in East Asia and the Pacific for stunting prevalence.
Therefore, inadequate nourishment has detrimental effects on students' physical and mental development. Students who are underweight or malnourished find it difficult to concentrate and comprehend the material being taught. They have a short attention span in class, which could result in poor academic performance and an inability to finish the assigned work. So, the Department of Education (DepEd) seeks to prevent these occurrences.
Given that malnutrition is a common problem in our country, the Department of Education (DepEd) established the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) to combat hunger. It is mandated to Republic Act No. 11037, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed on June 20, 2018, and is also referred to as the "Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act."
Additionally, it is thought that one strategy to lessen school children's undernutrition is the School-Based Feeding Program. In addition, the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) seeks to raise the nutritional status of its recipients—from Severely Wasted or Wasted to Normal in their respective Body Mass Index (BMI) and enhance their academic achievement.
Initially developed and introduced in 1997, the Breakfast Feeding Program (BFP) was the name under which the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) was formerly known. The students enrolled in kindergarten and those classified as Severely Wasted (SW) and Wasted (W) in grades one through six are the intended recipients of the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) based on the data nutritional status. In no more than 120 feeding days, the beneficiaries will receive food.
Furthermore, each beneficiary of the School-Based Feeding Program is given a daily of twenty pesos. Two pesos are used for operating costs and eighteen pesos for food.
Throughout the country, every public school has implemented the School-Based Feeding Program and it is managed and implemented by teachers, particularly the designated coordinators, following DepEd requirements.
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