Halting of school feeding tender should not come at expense of pupils, warns activist
An education activist says the halting of an R10 billion school feeding tender should not be to the detriment of pupils who rely on the meals.
The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube had halted the tender.
It was issued before she was appointed following the May 29 general elections.
The national school nutrition programme feeds over 9 million children a day but has been marred by corruption and distribution issues.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta says the feeding scheme is the only source of food for most pupils in disadvantaged areas.
“We welcome the decision [to halt the tender] but want to caution that learners should not be negatively affected by the decision. It is very important that all learners get access to meals on a daily basis.
“If this means that there will be a delay as far as the tender is concerned, we want to appeal to the minister to find alternative means to ensure that meals are provided daily to schools.
“There are so many kids who come from disadvantaged communities, who depend solely on these meals that they get at school. Some of them don’t know where their next meal will come from, so it’s very important for us to prioritise them.”
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