There are so many factors that affect the academic performance of our pupils at school. It can be their biological/inherent capabilities and limitations and their social and environmental backgrounds.

While we value the principle of individual differences and that individuals learn and improve at their individual space and time, such factors above cannot be discounted in talking about how they affect the teaching and learning process at school.

Every year, right at the beginning weeks of the school year, teachers need to get the baseline nutritional status of each and every pupil.

We identify, based on their BMI results, those who are normal, overweight, wasted and severely wasted.

From there, schools can then identify the fraction of the school population that needs to be part of the feeding program.

However, more than trying to improve their nutritional and health status, we also need to bear in mind that such nutritional and health status can greatly affect their performance at school – academic wise.

It can be noted that pupils who are somehow wasted or severely wasted tend to be less active in class. Those who do not get good and enough nutrition at home have the tendency to perform the least at school.

Can you imagine how we can ask a pupil to perform a task in class if he/she had not taken his/her breakfast in the morning? Worst yet, you would find out that a few of them might not had any dinner the night before and when the morning came still they didn’t get anything to eat?

These are usually the ones who tend to be feeling lousy and sleepy in class. They would seem like they are physically present but mentally absent because their digestive system is wishing for something to work on but doesn’t have anything at all.

It is hoped that pupils as such can get more help in improving their nutritional and health status so they can be more lively and active in class for the improvement of their academic performance.

It is hoped also that there will be more generous sponsors who can really support feeding programs aiming at improving the pupil’s individual health and nutrition.

If they cannot have enough at home due to economic problems in the family, we hope that the school together with the community can help out in achieving this task.

By: Grace L. Sotto Teacher 2 Jose Abejar Mem. Elem. School Abucay District