Children who do not receive adequate nutrition are irritable, malnourished and sickly, which certainly hinders learning. Hunger affects their character, temperament and intellect. According to a book on Children’s Guidance, irregularities in eating destroy the healthful tone of the digestive organs to the detriment of health and cheerfulness. Hunger cannot be avoided especially to those who belong to poor family. Some of the children go to school without eating a meal. Does hunger take an effect in learning? It has been observed that children who do eat irregularly suffer from headache, sleepiness, stomach pain and fatigue. Such physical and psychological problems have the ability to hinder the learning process of pupils. Pupils who are hungry do not pay attention because they are irritable. Studies have shown that pupils who eat regularly are more likely to have better concentration and more alert during lessons than those who do not. There is a direct correlation between eating and test scores. Students who eat regularly have better score in their tests results than those who do not.

In order to help children who are malnourished, schools launched feeding programs. This feeding program provides healthy foods for malnourished children. But I might say that this feeding program shall include not only the malnourished children but also unfortunate ones who are unable to take a complete meal a day.  

By: Ernelita M. Ariola | Teacher I | Limay Elementary School | Limay Bataan