Govt gives school kids sadza, no relish

THOUSANDS of primary school pupils in rural Matabeleland South province are facing starvation as there is no relish to go with maize meal stashed at schools under government’s Schools Feeding Programme, a senior education official has revealed.

school-kids250Government started providing grain to schools this term following reports that pupils were collapsing during classes and abandoning school due to hunger.

Matabelalend South provincial education director, Tumisang Thabela presented a report on the scheme to the Provincial Drought Mitigation Committee in Gwanda on Wednesday.

He said of the 499 schools on the programme, only 44 had started feeding pupils with the majority failing because of the lack of relish while, in some cases, schools were failing to transport grain from depots to learning centres.

“Some of the schools which benefited (from the scheme) are facing challenges of transport to ferry grain to their schools. However, most schools are facing challenges of finding relish to feed the children,” read the report.

“Gwanda has a highest number of schools which have already started feeding pupils out of all the country’s seven districts with all 100 schools in the district already feeding the children on soya beans, cabbages, beans and kapenta fish.”

Schools are supposed to be provided with relish but due to the prevailing economic hardships which have resulted in parents failing to pay fees most rural institutions are failing to do so.

Although the grain is supposed to feed pupils from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Grade 2, Thabela said, in Beitbridge, there is need for the programme to be extended to all primary school pupils as they mill around feeding points hoping to get food.

“Grades 3-7 are also starving in Beitbridge. They go to the extent of coming to the feeding point where they will sit looking at those who are benefiting from the programme being fed.”

 

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