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The Negative Effects Of Malnutrition In African Schools

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"I start a fire, put a pot of water on it and tell the children I am in the middle of preparing something, Maryam Sy, 37 and a mother of nine, says in a raspy voice. In reality, I have nothing" (qtd. in Larson). Like Maryam’s kids, several other African children go to bed before their mothers are finished stirring the pots. Hunger and malnutrition is a serious problem faced by many African countries. This issue affects children the most. Every year, millions of children die due to the lack of proper nutrition. Besides the physical and psychological damage, malnutrition also affects academics. Malnutrition has several negative effects on a child’s learning and school performance as it can lead to lower attendance, unsatisfactory student behavior, and poor academic performance.
As children do not get proper nutrition, Malnutrition makes students susceptible to illnesses which lead to low school attendance. Being out of school for long periods of time due to illnesses makes students unfamiliar with the concepts being taught upon return. They often do poorly on the tests because of that. Malnutrition affects students’ academic performance as well. Children who consume adequate amounts of food perform better in school than the malnourished children. Food provides many nutrients essential for mental and cognitive development. Not having enough food causes deficiencies of proteins necessary for the development of brain tissue which prevents children from understanding the material

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