‘School feeding scheme will not be scrapped’
Spira Tlhankane | Monday March 9, 2026 09:44
There have been fears amongst Batswana that tightening public finances might force the government to scale back or cancel the programme, which for decades has been a key pillar of social protection for vulnerable children and families.
However, in their committee of supply speeches presented before the House, the two ministers responsible for the programme made it clear that the feeding scheme will continue.
Additionally, they revealed it will also evolve into a broader Home-Grown School Feeding Programme designed to strengthen nutrition while supporting local farmers.
Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa emphasised that the initiative remains critical in addressing hunger and malnutrition among children and other vulnerable groups.
“Government has continued with the provision of Supplementary Feeding to public primary school children and vulnerable groups at health facilities countrywide,” Motshegwa told Members of Parliament.
“The objective of the Supplementary Feeding Programme is to enhance a conducive learning environment, while also addressing hunger and malnutrition among under-five children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and TB outpatients.”
Currently, government provides meals to 388,919 learners in 768 government primary schools while a further 306,966 vulnerable beneficiaries receive support through 967 health facilities across the country, he added.
Motshegwa also emphasised that demand for the programme remains particularly high in several districts.
He disclosed that Gaborone leads with 31 schools serving 26,249 learners, followed by Mahalapye with 52 schools and 25,979 learners, the North West district with 39 schools and 23,144 learners, and Kweneng with 40 schools serving 22,773 learners.
Despite the programme’s reach, Motshegwa added that funding pressures remain a concern.
“However, inadequate funding for the Supplementary Feeding Programme remains one of the most significant and persistent challenges confronting the Ministry, and this constraint continues to place pressure on the sustainability and effectiveness of the programme,” the minister noted.
To strengthen the initiative, the Mmadinare legislator said the government is transforming the traditional school feeding scheme into a Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, which will source food from local producers while improving meal quality.
“This approach sources nutritious foods from local producers, enhancing meal quality while supporting rural livelihoods and local economic development,” Motshegwa said.
The programme is also backed by a substantial financial commitment, with the government having allocated P950, 460,790 for the Supplementary Feeding Programme covering primary school feeding as well as support for children under five, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Overall, the Department of Social Development has been allocated P4.2 billion, representing 32 percent of the Ministry’s recurrent budget.
For her part, the Minister of Child Welfare and Basic Education, Nono Kgafela-Mokoka, said the new Home-Grown School Feeding Programme will significantly improve nutrition in schools while boosting demand for locally produced food.
“The recent establishment of the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) represents a critical government intervention designed to enable accessibility to fresh agricultural produce across all educational institutions. Provision of fresh locally produced foods will greatly improve learner nutrition and enhance school attendance, retention, and overall learning outcomes,” Kgafela-Mokoka highlighted.
“The programme supports smallholder farmers by establishing strategic procurement and creating a structured demand for locally produced food. I must emphasise that for this programme to succeed, it requires seamless collaboration across various sectors, namely education, health, agriculture, and social protection. Synergies between these sectors are critical in the HGSFP continuum.”
She added that the Secondary School Feeding Programme has been allocated P561,953,880, which will also support the rollout of the home-grown feeding model. She said the amount will cover the envisaged Home Grown School Feeding as indicated earlier in this Speech.