Zimbabwe’s National Schools Feeding Programme is facing serious challenges, as schools only receive mealie-meal without relish, placing financial strain on parents.
This issue was raised in Parliament by Warren Park MP Shakespeare Hamauswa (CCC) after legislators conducted public consultations with their constituencies.
He said the programme has become unsustainable, with some schools asking parents to contribute one dollar for relish. Said Hamauswa (via CITE):
We learnt during public consultations that schools are receiving mealie-meal without any relish, which is resulting in parents being asked to contribute a dollar each so that they buy relish for their children.
Sometimes you find a bucket of beans, which is then processed so that they have enough food.
My request is that the responsible Ministry and the Minister of Social Welfare should look into the issue so that the programme becomes beneficial to children because we are told they are getting mealie-meal and you cannot eat sadza (isitshwala) without any relish.
Hamauswa called for effective solutions to ensure the school feeding programme fulfils its goal of combating hunger and keeping children in school.
He pointed out that despite a US$15 million allocation for relish, students are still eating sadza (isitshwala) without relish. Said the legislator:
This is bad enough because some children are not going to school because of lack of food… I am also informed that there is US$15 million which is earmarked for buying relish but surprisingly, those children who can read newspapers that there is an allocation of US$15 million, might be asking where the US$15 million is whilst they are eating sadza without relish.
This programme is a flagship of our government programmes which shows the national outlook of the interventions that are made by the government but this programme might not achieve the intended or desired results.
Some learners sitting for the end-of-year Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) exams are doing so on an empty stomach.
Hamauswa questioned why parents and guardians were asked to contribute money for transport, given the government’s prohibition on communities contributing money to move grain from GMB depots.
More: Pindula News