Day Nursery schools in the Wa East District are closing down due to the Catholic Relief Service (CRS)’s withdrawal of its feeding programme. Some schools in the three northern regions benefit from a one meal per child each day through the CRS’s Food Assisted Child Survival (FACS) programme. But programme is folding up by September this year resulting in the closing down of some beneficiary schools in the Wa East District. As a precursor to a total withdrawal of the programme, CRS no longer distributes food to the schools on regular basis. This has led to a drastic drop in school attendance because the food which served attracted children to school is no longer there. Speaking at the launch of the Wa East District Health Community Child Survival Campaign Activities at Tinniabelle, Mr Alidu Baforko, Wa East District Head Teachers Adviser, described the situation as worrying. He cited Jumo Nursery School as one of the schools that had already closed down. He said efforts to get the children back to school was becoming difficult as their parents whose farms were devastated by floods last year, did not immediately have the means to keep them in school. According to him, the Take Home Food Ration programme initiated for girls by the CRS had helped to increase girls' enrolment in schools. "The gains that we have made in enrolment and retaining of children in schools would be eroded. Illiteracy rate in the district would also continue to be high if urgent measures are not taken to address the situation", he stated. Mr Baforko called on the government to appeal to the CRS to at least cater for the feeding of school children at the nursery level. He also suggested to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports to collaborate with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to establish school farms to produce food to feed the schools. Source: GNA