The Department of Education (DepEd) in Negros Oriental targets to feed a total of 34,465 learners under its school-based feeding program for the current school year.
At the Kapihan sa PIA forum on Wednesday, Melanie Mae Austero, program coordinator, said the program for school year 2025-2026 will cover all kindergarten and non-graded learners not included in previous years.
She explained that non-graded learners are those enrolled in Special Education (SPED) programs, not following the traditional grading system due to various needs.
This school year’s implementation of the program expands from previous years, which primarily focused on children with nutrition deficiencies.
In the past, Grades 1 to 6 students who were “wasted” and “severely wasted” were the target beneficiaries of the feeding program.
It was also explained that “wasting” refers to children who are too thin for their height.
Austero said the DepEd has allocated around P112 million for this year’s feeding program.
