Impact of the Provision of School Lunch on Attendance in Jamaican Primary Schools

• In Event: Educational Evaluation and Reform in Africa and in the Caribbean

Abstract

This paper sought to ascertain the attendance patterns of children in Jamaican primary schools with low attendance and to determine whether provision of school lunch in those schools impacted the attendance of the children .Analyses were done by regions in Jamaica and gender differences in attendance according to type of lunch taken was ascertained . The views of selected stakeholders on the school lunch programme were sought. The findings revealed that the provision of school lunch had a positive impact on attendance. With the average annual attendance rate of children who had cooked lunch being superior. Where their attendance pattern is better than that of the boys, the girls have both the nutribun and milk and a cooked lunch.

Author

• Zellynne Jennings, University of the West Indies