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– MBHTE Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal. (File photo: SDN)
COTABATO CITY — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), through its Health and Nutrition Unit, launched on February 16 its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) and School Dental Health Care Program (SDHCP) at Kauran Elementary School under Maguindanao del Sur Schools Division Office (SDO).
Approximately 20,000 learners in the said SDO will receive 12kgs of Iron-Fortified Rice (IFR) and a box of commodities containing 180g of cereals, 300g of powdered milk, and 1kg of mung beans, which are expected to sustain the nutritional needs of the learners for 120 feeding days.
The SBFP initiative aims to combat hunger and malnutrition among students by providing nutritious meals within the school environment. With a focus on improving health, cognitive development, and learning outcomes, the program targets key objectives including enhancing academic performance, increasing school attendance, and stimulating local agriculture.
Recognizing the crucial link between oral health and overall well-being, the SDHCP aimed to provide access to health services among learners and personnel needing preventive and curative services, including immediate emergency care in school, with the end goal of improving the quality of education of a healthy school populace.
In his message delivered by Director Daud Kadon of the Bureau of Alternative Learning System (BALS), MBHTE Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal underscored that hunger and subsequent malnutrition can gravely affect a child’s thinking process.
“The lack of iron in the diet may result to sluggishness, headache, and poor alertness level. Therefore, it is highly commendable to fortify the diet with iron, especially for the school children,” he added.
In line with its commitment to leave no Bangsamoro learner behind, the Ministry is dedicated to mitigating hunger and malnutrition in the Bangsamoro region.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur. (✓)