An educationist,  Mrs.
Flora Benjamin, has advised head teachers in the various primary schools in the state to  checkmate the activities of food  vendors whom the pupils patronize during and after school hours.
Benjamin, who spoke to our correspondent  over the weekend, in Port Harcourt, said the practice whereby food   vendors hang around school premises during school hours was not healthy for learning.
Benjamin, who bared her mind on the issue said although the economy has made people look for alternative ways of making ends  meet, such ventures should be done with every sense of responsibility.
She said some of the food and other edibles  bought by the pupils for consumption could not be said to have been properly prepared for human consumption.
According to her, heads of schools should monitor the type of people that come to sell to the pupils in order to check truancy  and those  with intent to steal children away from schools.
She further opined that parents should endeavour to provide launch  packs for their children  and wards even as she said giving of money to children on a regular basis should be discouraged.
“Most parents are of the habit of handing money to their children every school day even when they  go to school with their launch.
“The practice could be counter productive in the long run because when there is no money the child can act funny”, she said.
On the possibility of schools organizing feeding programmes for pupils, she said the idea was good but added that  it would be a distraction since most schools were not running on boarding  arrangement.