Some 20,000 schoolchildren are set to benefit from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) school-based feeding program this year in Tawi-Tawi, the region’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE-BARMM) said Thursday.

The pupils are enrolled in 78 schools including a madrasah in Tawi-Tawi, which comprises 11 island municipalities.

MBHTE launched the feeding program Tuesday at the Provincial Housing Laboratory School (PHLS) in Bongao, the capital town of Tawi-Tawi.

Jeba Jalim, PHLS principal, said the program will provide each pupil with 18 kilos of iron-fortified rice, a pack of anchovy, and a pack of mung beans, to be released in three tranches beginning this March.

“The second tranche will be in June and the third tranche will be in May this year,” Jalim said in a statement Thursday.

Jalim said the feeding program addresses the health condition of malnourished pupils, adds their presence and attendance in classes, and contributes to their better performance in school.

“This observation is based on experience from the conducted school-based feeding program in previous years,” he said.

Dr. Fatima Abubakar, Tawi-Tawi schools division superintendent, has expressed her gratitude to MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal for the regional launching of the school-based feeding program.

Abubakar believes that the feeding program will serve as a contributory factor to the learning development of the pupils in the province of Tawi-Tawi. (PNA)