Many kids are affected by hunger and starvation. And those two have a huge impact on children’s development and growth, making it difficult for them to learn, concentrate, and even understand math. In some countries, schools have feeding programs in order to provide the children with much-needed nutritious food.
How many kids go hungry to school? What are the effects of hunger on their learning abilities?
These and many more questions are covered in this article.
3 Key Hunger And Education Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- Hungry children have lower math scores.
- 74% of educators have students who come hungry to school.
- Food insecurity reduces a child’s chances of graduating high school.
11 Hunger And Education Statistics
1. In 2020, there were 149.2 million stunted children.
Stunting is one of the results of chronic or recurrent undernutrition. To define it simply, stunting is a low height for age. It is associated with an underdeveloped brain and it has long-lasting harmful consequences such as mental ability and learning capacity, poor school performance in childhood, and increased risks of nutrition-related chronic diseases. In 2020, there were almost 150 million stunted children, while 45.4 million children were wasted.
Source: World Health Organization
2. Children who are hungry have lower math scores.
Hungry children who are attending school, often have lower math scores and a hard time reading. But not only that – the study conducted by NEA, National Education Association, stated that such kids are more likely to repeat a grade, come to school late, or miss school entirely. Schools that offer breakfast to their students help them perform better. In such schools, kids attend more classes due to the fact they get a meal.
Source: National Education Association
3. Around 74% of educators have students who come hungry to school.
Children from low-income families and poor households often need to come to school – hungry. Due to that, they have a hard time adjusting to the consistency of learning. Besides, their concentration isn’t on a high level as of those students who do eat before attending a class. According to the No Kid Hungry, 74% of educators have students who regularly come to school hungry.
Source: No Kid Hungry
4. In 2017, 13 million poor children went to school hungry.
Back in 2017, No Kid Hungry did research and found out that 13 million children from low-income families go to school hungry. No access to food impacts their concentration and learning abilities. Besides, living in poverty or extreme poverty takes a toll on children’s developing bodies too.
Source: No Kid Hungry
5. Almost 50% of children from low-income families say hunger negatively impacts their academic performance.
The study and data provided by the No Kid Hungry stated that 46% of children from low-income families experienced a negative impact of hunger on their academic performance. These early problems in school can cause severe ones in the future. Children may not be able to finish school and due to that, they could have problems such as job employment and housing security once they’re adults.
Source: No Kid Hungry
6. About 93% of educators are concerned about the long-term effects of hunger on students.
If we go a bit more back, in 2015, a study found out that 93% of educators are afraid and concerned about the long-term effects hunger may have on their student’s education. Hungry children have problems with focus and just getting through the day. According to The Hunger Site, once children finish their classes, they return home and still don’t know when will they have their next meal.
Source: The Hunger Site
7. Weekly, 2.8 million children experienced hunger in South Africa in 2021.
South Africa is having big problems with hunger and 2.8 million children experienced hunger in 2021 on a weekly basis. 600,000 children however experienced perpetual hunger – hunger every day or almost every day. And such situations have a massive impact on their education and learning abilities.
Source: Daily Maverick
8. Food-insecure children tend to miss school more than others.
According to the data by American Youth Policy Forum, children and teenagers who are food-insecure have been missing school more frequently. Besides, such kids are more likely to repeat a grade than children who are food-secure. The same data showed that food insecurity reduces a child’s chances of graduating from high school.
Source: American Youth Policy Forum
9. School Lunch Program in America feeds 30 million kids.
In America, USDA-founded National School Lunch Program provides 30 million kids with free or at least reduced-price lunches at school. There are many other similar programs that operate on the local level. Such actions and organizations massively help children from low-income families to have a healthy meal on a daily basis.
Source: The Hunger Site
10. Africa can’t afford to provide school feeding programs to all children.
In Africa, the situation is a bit different. More than 60 million children live in extreme poverty and they do not have access to school feeding programs. According to the World Food Programme, it would cost $3.8 billion per year to reach all the children with a certain school feeding program. And most African countries can’t afford that.
Source: World Food Programme
11. National School Feeding Policy in Benin plans to reach 3,000 schools nationwide.
Benin, the country in West Africa, approved its National School Feeding Policy back in 2019. The policy institutionalized school feeding in the country. Besides, according to the Policy, the country committed $87 million to reach 3,000 schools nationwide in a four-year period in order to provide children with food in school. For many children, that would be the only meal they’ll have in a day. School feeding programs are having a high impact on children, not only by feeding the kids but also by being one of the reasons for kids to attend classes. Due to that, they have the possibility to get a proper education.
Source: World Food Programme
To Wrap It Up
Children are badly impacted by food insecurity, hunger, and starvation. And that takes a great toll on their health, development, and growth. Hungry children have problems with learning, focusing, and concentration which then affects their life for the future. If they do not get the much-needed education, they could have problems with getting a job, a proper income, and finding a home to live in. However, many countries are aware of the problems and they try to provide various school feeding programs in order to give kids at least one meal in a day which will be quite helpful for their learning experience and abilities.
