For first time, DepEd feeding program to include pregnant studentsFourteen-year-old Maria (not her real name) stays at home in Payatas, Quezon City after she stopped attending school due to her pregnancy, in this photo taken January 17, 2025. MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education will provide meals to pregnant students enrolled in public schools for the first time this year, part of a broader expansion of its feeding program that it says targets 4.6 million learners nationwide. DepEd will coordinate with the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of the Interior and Local Government to provide maternal and child health support alongside the feeding program. “That’s why we are expanding the School-Based Feeding Program so more learners can receive adequate nutrition.”The bulk of the program targets early grades: 1.52 million kindergarten students and 1.79 million Grade 1 students will receive meals for 200 days. Another 1.18 million students in Grades 2 to 6 classified as wasted or severely wasted will also get 200 feeding days.

Source: Philippine Star January 08, 2026 14:33 UTC