The programme will take off on Tuesday when schools open
for the second term.
Under the initiative, which will cover schools in both
rural and urban areas, the Government will provide meals to each learner from
Early Childhood Development (ECD) class through to secondary school level
daily.
There are roughly 10 000 public schools in Zimbabwe, with
an estimated enrolment of three million.
Boarding schools account for 25 000 of the total enrolment.
Overall, the feeding programme seeks to curb school
drop-outs and absenteeism as a result of difficulties occasioned by the
drought.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, chief director for
learner welfare and psychological services in the Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education Ms Kwadzanai Nyanungo said all schoolchildren will be
entitled to at least one meal per day.
Faced with the El Niño phenomenon and its impact on food
and nutrition security, the Government is mobilising resources to sustain the
home-grown school feeding programme to ensure that learners attending day
school receive at least one hot and balanced meal per day without exception,”
she said.
“Boarding schools already provide meals as part of their
package, so they are not included here.
“The programme covers both rural and urban schools.
“The budget (for the programme) has been an annual thing;
however, this year, definitely there is a need for supplementary spending to
meet the gap created by the El Niño phenomenon.”
The programme, Ms Nyanungo said, will require the
participation of various stakeholders, including local authorities, community
leaders, parents, teachers and traditional leaders.
“In the past, the Government had been providing maize with
no relish.
“The (Education) Secretary’s Circular No.5 of 2019 points
out that, while the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is responsible
for school feeding, the success of the home-grown approach requires mutually
beneficial linkages with other ministries and stakeholders,” she said.
“The home-grown feeding programme requires the active
participation of ministries responsible for agriculture, health, social
welfare, women affairs, youth and finance.
“It operates in such a way that the demand for agricultural
produce is created through the design of nutritious school meals that offer a
balanced diet to all learners on every day of the school calendar.”
Apart from its benefits for children’s nutrition, the
programme also serves as an attraction for learners to religiously attend
school.
When dropouts are curbed, Ms Nyanungo added, child
marriages, child prostitution, and drug and substance abuse, among other social
vices, will be reduced.
Director of communications and advocacy in the Ministry of
Primary and Education Mr Taungana Ndoro said health protocols have been put in
place to ensure the food is fit for consumption.
“During a drought period or any potential outbreak of
diseases like cholera, additional measures are taken to ensure the safety of
children participating in the school feeding programme,” he said.
“These measures include regular monitoring of food safety
and hygiene practices, proper storage and handling of food, promoting
handwashing and sanitation practices, and providing health education on
preventive measures.” Sunday Mail
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