Hungry pupils, weak Policies: Why education reform must start with nutrition

 In every district across Ghana, children sit in classrooms with their books open but their minds closed off by hunger. Teachers try their best, parents make sacrifices, and government rolls out curriculum reforms.

Yet the invisible barrier remains: an empty plate. Nutrition is the silent factor sabotaging Ghana’s education system, and until policy­makers treat it as such, the promise of quality education will remain unfulfilled.

Picture a classroom in rural Ghana. A young boy sits at his desk, his head resting on his arms. His teacher calls on him to read, but his voice is faint and his words stumble. He has not had a proper breakfast. At home, the family eats mostly starchy staples, with little protein or micronutrients. His body is present in school, but his mind is absent.

The missing piece in education policy

Education reforms often focus on infrastructure, teacher training, or examination standards. But without nutrition, these investments deliv­er half their potential. A child who is stunted in the first five years of life enters school already disadvan­taged, their brain underdeveloped, their ability to concentrate im­paired. For adolescent girls, anemia robs them of energy, increasing absenteeism and weakening their future prospects.

This is not just a health issue. It is a policy failure when education strategy ignores nutrition. Policy­makers must recognise that learn­ing outcomes are directly tied to what children eat before and during school hours.

School Feeding: A missed oppor­tunity

The Ghana School Feeding Pro­gramme was designed to bridge this gap, and it has succeeded in draw­ing children into classrooms. But too often the meals are monotonous, nutrient-deficient, and unbalanced, providing calories without nour­ishment. A plate of plain rice may temporarily silence hunger pangs, but it cannot build sharp minds or strong bodies.

Here lies the policy challenge: the programme must shift from feeding for numbers to feeding for nutri­tion. That requires clear standards, consistent funding, and strong moni­toring to ensure that meals truly meet the needs of growing children.

What leaders must do

If Ghana wants to close its educa­tion gaps, nutrition must be inte­grated into the core of education planning. This means:

Making nutrition a key perfor­mance indicator in the Ministry of Education’s agenda.

Revising school feeding contracts to demand balanced meals with proteins, vegetables, and micronu­trients.

Aligning agriculture policy with school meals, so local farmers sup­ply diverse, nutritious foods.

Ensuring that adolescent girls re­ceive iron supplementation through schools to combat anemia.

A call to stakeholders

Parliament must treat school nutrition with the same urgency as curriculum reforms. District as­semblies must prioritise nutritious meal provision in their education budgets. Development partners and CSOs must hold government accountable for not just how many children are fed, but how well they are nourished.

Because the truth is simple: Gha­na cannot build a skilled workforce, a competitive economy, or a pros­perous future on the foundation of hungry, undernourished children.

The future of our education sys­tem does not begin with textbooks or blackboards. It begins with a plate of food, and the policies that ensure it is nourishing.

Feature article by Women, Media and Change under its Nourish Gha­na: Advocating for Increased Leader­ship to Combat Malnutrition Project in collaboration with Eleanor Crook Foundation

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