FG Charges School Cooks on Meal Hygiene, Quality

The Federal Government, through its National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), addressed cooks to prepare hygienic and quality meals for pupils in Jigawa State.

This charge was on Wednesday, given by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk, during the training of 54 cooks in the state capital, Dutse.

Represented by the Assistant Director of Finance in the ministry, Badawi Mukhtar, the minister said the training was to ensure cooks prepare nutritional meals for pupils in hygienic conditions.

“This training is to ensure that the cooks prepare their food under the most hygienic form and also ensure that they include the nutritional value to it.

“We understand that in the past, the cooks usually prepared the meals without any standard guidelines.

“That is why the ministry brought in consultants to teach them on the need to include nutritional value to their meals, as well as cook them under the most hygienic process,” Umar-Farouk said.

Umar-Farouk guaranteed that the ministry would ensure that pupils in the country will be served quality and sufficient meals.

The Focal Person of the Social Investment Programme in Jigawa State, Alhaji Mustapha Umar, also said the training was important because the Federal Government intends to make the programme a sustainable one.

He added that the training would help to reduce malnutrition among pupils in the state, ensuring the consumption of healthy meals.

“This is because there will be a change of government after the 2023 elections.

“Therefore, we want a situation whereby the incoming administration will adopt and continue the feeding programme.

“That’s why the training focused on the hygienic and nutritional elements of the meal in its entire preparation,” he said.

Umar noted that the 54 participants were selected from the 27 local governments in the state.

He encouraged the cooks to pass down what they have learnt to other cooks in the state, adding that they pay attention to the hygiene of the meals and water given to pupils.

One of the participants in the training, Rabia Sa’idu and Na’ima Usman, commended the ministry and the state for the training, promising to make use of the knowledge gained.

She however pleaded with the government and stakeholders to reduce the prices of food items and ingredients needed to prepare the meals.

“We don’t have any challenge with regards to our payment or any other aspect of our operation.

“The major problem is the skyrocketing prices of food items.

“So, we want the government to ensure that the prices of food items are stable and affordable,” the trainee pleaded.