adminTHE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has proposed to reintroduce supplementary feeding in schools as it moves to reduce school dropouts due to hunger.
This comes against a background of poor yields and looming food shortages in most parts of the country, owing to erratic rains experienced in the past rainy season. Permanent Secretary in the Education Ministry Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said her ministry was awaiting approval from Cabinet before rolling out the supplementary feeding programme across the country.
She made the revelation in Beitbridge District on Friday during the unveiling ceremony of a new library and administration block at Masungane Primary School. Dr Masango said the supplementary feeding programme, if approved, will initially cater for children in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) and infant classes, and would be scaled up to higher grades if funds permit.
“We are looking at introducing supplementary feeding at schools soon. The ministry has put forward the proposal to Cabinet for approval. The programme will target ECD infant classes and will be spread to other classes if funds permit. The idea is to curb dropouts from schools due to hunger as well as address the problem of malnutrition in schools,” she said.
In 2013 over 3 000 children were reported to have dropped out of school due to hunger across Matabeleland region which is perennially blighted by food shortages. Last week our sister paper, The Herald reported that over 1 000 school children in Chingwizi, Masvingo province, had dropped out of school since the start of the year mainly due to hunger and long distance to and from school.
Meanwhile, the new primary and secondary schools curriculum framework has been approved by Cabinet paving way for the implementation of a flurry of changes to the country’s education system. Dr Masango said the new curriculum will see Science, Mathematics and practical subjects taking centre stage in the learning programme of children.
“We have just introduced the new curriculum which was approved by Cabinet some two weeks ago. The new curriculum aims to impart practical skills to children at early ages such that at every stage and level a learner must exit with a skill. This will enable the learner to survive on their own after graduating from school. The new curriculum also includes all the country’s 16 languages and gives emphasis sports,” she said.
Dr Masango also gave an update on the teachers’ capacity development programme, in which the education ministry has partnered various State Universities to give scholarships to teachers who wish to further their education. She said the programme was going on well and was part of Government efforts to improve the education sector.
Dr Masango, however, bemoaned shortage of critical facilities at schools, such as classrooms and libraries and teachers’ accommodation, saying such shortages were a major drawback to efforts in improving learning in the country.
“Namibia has a friends for education programme, where Government has engaged private partners who help in many ways to improve the country’s education system. It’s an idea we can sleep on and see if we can implement here,” she said.
Dr Masango also urged successful people around the country to retrace their footsteps and support their former schools saying that was another way schools could have improved facilities.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter