$5.5B allocated to expand National School Feeding Programme

The Government has allocated a sum of $5.5 billion to fund the National School Feeding Programme in a bid to further promote health and nutrition and boost school attendance.

This allocation for 2025 is a significant increase from the $4.9 billion in 2024.

Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh announced this 12.2 per cent increase during the 2025 Budget announcement at the Arthur Chung Conference on Friday.

With a focus on food security, this allocation will be utilised to provide nutritious meals to scores of students across Guyana, particularly in the hinterland and remote areas.

Last year’s allocation supported over 126,000 students. This year’s increase is estimated to reach hundreds of thousands more students.

In 2024, the programme was tremendously expanded and saw to all children across the country from Nursery to Grade Two receiving several food options including biscuits, juices, cassava bread and in some instances hot meals.

Schools across the country that, under the previous administration, were left unsupported, were also catered for in last year’s increased budget.

By further increasing funding for this vital programme, the government has renewed their commitment to fostering a supportive learning environment for Guyana’s children.