Impact of School Canteens on School Retention and Academic Performance in the Atlantic Department (Benin)

In Benin, obstacles to universal access to primary education persist. In rural areas, enrolment and attendance rates remain low due to several factors. Families living in poverty may not be able to afford to send their children to school;although the government has eliminated primary school fees, parents still have to buy school uniforms and supplies. There is also an opportunity cost associated with sending girls to school, rather than keeping them at home where they can help their mothers with household chores and look after their younger siblings (School canteens in Benin to improve student enrolment and retention in partnership with parents’ associations, 2008). Prior to 2016, the school feeding system was in its infancy, with canteens operated for only three months of the year. However, thanks to determined government reforms, the school canteen system has undergone a profound transformation. The implementation of a USD 79 million has not only not only increased coverage from coverage from 30% to 75% today, but also set the ambitious target ambitious goal of achieving 100% coverage by the end of 2023 [1]. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of canteens on school retention and children’s academic performance. We conducted a descriptive and analytical diagnostic survey using a questionnaire designed for parents of schoolchildren. Canteens increase and maintain the number of children in our schools, especially when the providers start their activities, in this case those traveling long distances. Almost all the parents surveyed believe that the school canteen has had an impact on their children’s motivation to attend school and class, and consequently on their performance. For example, for all parents surveyed, the school canteen has reduced the risk of children dropping out of school, especially girls (97%), although the difference with boys (95%) remains small and is not statistically significant. What’s more, since the advent of the PNASI, in the Atlantic department, the CEP pass rate in schools with canteens far exceeds that of schools without canteens. This shows that canteens play a major and positive role in the retention and success of the schoolchildren who benefit from them.

An Investigation into Food Balance and Its Relationship to the Physical Activity Practised within the School Context for Both Males and Females Aged 10-13 Years

The preliminary aim of this study was to reach food balance （quantitative and qualitative） of the meals provided by the school canteen at the Wilaya of Tieret, and its relationship to the physical activity practised, adequately through using a definite method to weight the amounts of food distributed for the meals, and to calculate the energetic expenditure of the physical activity, with an informative exploration of data and the value standards of the dispensed energy that is highly recommended by the （CNRS/CNERA 1992） center. The results of the main findings revealed that the value of macronutrients was smaller than the approved standards. Additionally, the value of the total protein weight per a day was 49.23 g, the fat value as 24.11 g and carbohydrate value as 190.87 g. The results showed also that protein diversity, animal and vegetal fats did not match the standards since the animal protein ratio was 27.76% and the vegetal as 72.24% from the whole total of protein. The percentage of the vegetal fat was 43.49% and the animal 56.31% Moreover, there is a weak correlation between the value of the expended and consumed energy. The Pearson＇s coefficient of males reached 0.09- and 0.39- for females. Furthermore, the value of the consumed energy did not fit the standards recommended for both males and females ages between 10/13 years old. On the basis of the previous pieces of information, we majorly recommend the achievement of a similar investigation for the rest parts of the country in order to reach a balanced nutrition for our children on internal schools.