By More Matshediso
Johannesburg - Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has urged service providers, who are supposed to prepare nutritious meals for learners at schools, to do their work properly for the sake of health and nutrition.
MEC Lesufi said they have become aware of reports that some service providers give children rice and tinned food, while some do not take hygiene seriously.
“This is not a feeding scheme, it is a National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP)… you must give them nutritious meals.
“We are spending a lot of money on this programme and the quality of food must show that we have invested a lot of money,” said the MEC.
The MEC was speaking after receiving the 101st Amalunchbox Mobile Kitchen donated by Massmart (Game) to Dikgabane Primary School in Soweto on Thursday.
He said service providers in Gauteng will no longer get three-year contracts for the NSNP because he has cut it down to 18 months.
“… They must either adapt or get out of the system so that our children can get nutritious meals,” he said.
He commended the partnership that Massmart has formed with government.
“Since the dawn of democracy, we have been grappling with the infrastructure backlog, which includes school kitchens, to implement the NSNP effectively.
“Since the dawn of this partnership in 2007, Massmart has successfully sponsored our schools with hygienic and safe food preparation kitchens, which are fully equipped and well ventilated,” said MEC Lesufi.
He said the department had to find ways of adding R100 million to its budget to make sure that it continues with the NSNP.
Even though Dikgabane did not have a proper kitchen before, it has since 2008 started a vegetable garden project, which helps to feed 1 035 learners.
The school accommodates learners from grade RR up to grade seven and has 40 teachers.
The mobile kitchen comes with three 100 litre pots, 1 100 plastic spoons, cups and plates valued at R120 000.
One of the learners at the school, Diteboho Lipholo, told SAnews that she was happy her school received the donation and she will no longer carry an empty lunchbox from which to eat her meals when learners are given their lunch.
“My father passed away a while ago and my mother is a domestic worker. We are five children at home and our grandmother also lives with us,” said the 10-year-old, who is in grade four this year.
The school’s principal, Mieta Mchali, said she was happy because her dream has come true.
“I have always wanted to see our school having a proper kitchen, where nutritious meals will be prepared for our learners,” said Mchali, who is retiring at the end of this year.
Game’s Chief Financial Officer Norman Drieselmann said he hoped that the kitchen will be used well and that nutrition will surely improve learners’ performance.
Game has so far spent about R9.5 million on the Amalunchbox Mobile Kitchens.
Drieselmann said the initiative was established to address the impact that malnutrition has on learners’ performance at school and it has been proven that learners who eat well are likely to perform better in their studies. - SAnews.gov.za
