Uganda's Universal Primary Education policy has expanded access to school, but many children still leave without foundational skills, and hunger is one barrier to learning. PEP researcher Innocent Akampurira examined whether school feeding programmes improve attendance and learning outcomes in Uganda and whether the level of coverage matters.
The study found that feeding programmes are widespread but unevenly distributed, and simply having a programme in place made little difference on its own. What mattered was coverage: schools where at least 75% of learners received meals saw attendance improve by up to 8.2 percentage points, English literacy by up to 12.8 percentage points, and numeracy by up to 18.5 percentage points, compared to schools with no feeding programme. The study recommends a hybrid model — keeping Uganda's parent-led system where it works, while directing government funding to food-insecure regions it cannot reach — paired with a minimum coverage standard of 75% of learners.
Policy Brief 314 | Working paper coming soon | Supported as part of the Africa Fellows in Education Program
