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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
THE schools supplementary feeding programme has resumed in primary schools in Matabeleland South Province after it was suspended last year following the outbreak of cholera.
In an interview, Matabeleland South acting Provincial Education Director, Mr Lifias Masukume said the programme started at the last week of the second term and is expected to continue this term.
‘‘The school feeding programme which mainly targets primary schools had been put on hold in Matabeleland South Province following the cholera outbreak last year and from there the programme didn’t kick start therefore schools haven’t been feeding for about a year. However, we have since engaged the Social Welfare and the programme commenced a week before schools closed.
‘‘Schools had started collecting grain from GMB and they were still collecting during the school holidays so that the programme may continue when schools open. Since schools have opened the programme should start. It was a huge concern that schools were not feeding all this while because children are in need of food,’’ he said.
In an interview, Matabeleland South Provincial Social Welfare Officer, Mr Criswell Nyakudya said stakeholders raised that the school feeding programme had been placed on hold in Matabeleland South Province while it was ongoing in other provinces.
He said his office then engaged the various departments involved in the programme namely GMB, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
‘‘As Social Welfare we learnt during a drought relief meeting that schools in Matabeleland South had stopped feeding since the cholera outbreak about a year ago and the programme had not resumed since then. We then engaged the relevant departments on the issue and rectified the matter and the feeding programme has resumed in schools. Stakeholders raised concerns during the meeting that children were in need of food assistance yet the programme had been put on hold,” he said.
Mr Masukume recently pointed out that about 230 000 learners in Matabeleland South schools out of a total enrolment of about 240 000 needed to be fed as they were affected by the drought situation. He said these excluded learners in boarding schools. Mr Masukume said Gwanda has the highest number of learners who need feeding with 47 671.
He said it was the policy of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education that students should have at least one decent warm meal a day. – @DubeMatutu
Online Reporter