BOSETU, BTU laud gov't on pupils feed
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday March 21, 2019 17:07
Trade unions have been pushing government to provide primary school learners with proper menus arguing that a good diet can enhance their learning abilities and help them improve their performance.
Their position has always been that some learners are from poor backgrounds and cannot access a good diet, which ultimately impact negatively on their learning.
Trade unions have however, said that the initiative should be implemented with caution.
Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) spokesperson Edwin Maitshoko highlighted that the current primary and pre school menu is light, less appetising and not that healthy.
“We have always consistently maintained that eating healthy improves overall dietary intake and enhances performance of learners. The recent development is a very welcome move,” Maitshoko said.
He added that the union through interaction with learners has established that hunger or poor diet causes inattentiveness and reduced physical and mental activity, and has a negative influence on school performance and learning.
Government has also said the school menu for primary schools is geared towards supporting poverty eradication and home grown feeding initiatives to economically empower and capacitate Batswana to promote micro and small-scale entrepreneurship.
“There has to be a strategic plan that aims to assess, build and promote sound food preparation strategies for learners. We do not want a situation where proper standards will not be followed in terms of preparing food for the learners. If standards are not followed it can endanger learners and defeat the purpose of the initiative. A child’s brighter future starts with healthy food,” he said.
Maitshoko attributed the absenteeism in some primary schools to amongst others, lack of access to enough healthy food by children.
Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) secretary general Agang Gabana entirely agreed with Maitshoko’s position.
He said: “As BTU we cannot negate the fact that engaging unemployed Batswana to cater for learners is a good move. However, there is need to put measures in place to ensure that children are consistently provided with clean and healthy food”.
Gabana added: “Alternatively, government can outsource catering services of menus deemed not to be sensitive to prepare to the public. Government should in turn provide catering of food items deemed to be sensitive. The government has capacity to monitor the preparation of such food and ensure that procedure is not flouted (when they are prepared). If procedure is not followed it will put the lives of learners at risk.”
Early this week the government announced that effective April 1, 2019, it would provide breakfast at pre and primary schools, acting upon a 2013 recommendation to align the primary school menu with that of secondary schools.
The recommendation was a product of a government team tasked with coming up with a menu that provides nutrients to promote optimal health, growth and development as well as prevent nutritional deficiencies among learners.
The new pre-school and primary schools menu will include rooibos tea with bread, peanut butter or jam, boiled eggs, mabele or maize meal soft porridge, milk and an orange or an apple’.
According to a 2015 study in the International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, school enrolment in Ghana increased by 20.3% over the past 10 years in schools with good feeding programmes. The study also showed reduction in absenteeism in schools with strong feeding programmes.