Feeding Scheme at schools

Good nutrition ensures better learning

Children who are malnourished or even experiencing short-term hunger have limited capacities to learn. At Technical Secondary School, in Block L Soshanguve, a feeding scheme programme has had a positive effect on their academic results for years.

The pupils at the school are given a well balanced meal for breakfast to kick-start their day. The school Principal, Mr John Mmolotsi, reported that childhood poverty is an important factor in persistent poverty and in the continuation of poverty across generations.

“Fighting childhood poverty today through school feeding programmes could mean that vicious cycles of poverty can be broken, as the children who benefit from government or community assistance today can be more productive as adults in the future”, he added.

The problem facing society today with these feeding programmes is the No-fee Schools and School Fee Exemption policies. Children living in areas where schools are too far and or not operating are practically excluded from the National School Nutrition Programme.

But there are also exclusions inherent in the design of this programme. Young children under six years old who are not yet at school cannot access food through the programme.

There is currently no government-funded nutrition programme at most high schools, although it has been reported that some provincial departments have used discretionary funding for this purpose. Government will extend feeding to high schools in the next five years.