Matabeleland South rural pupils face starvation

PUPILS at 450 rural schools in Matabeleland South are facing starvation after it has emerged that the institutions have not yet implemented the Rural Schools Feeding programme although some have received grain.

Rural schools are receiving grain from the Department of Social Welfare, through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to feed pupils and mitigate against hunger in learning institutions.

The Government introduced the programme after reports that some pupils were fainting in schools because of hunger.

According to a report presented by Matabeleland South provincial education director Mrs Tumisang Thabela during a Provincial Drought Mitigation Committee meeting in Gwanda last week, 450 of 499 rural schools in the province were failing to feed their pupils because of lack of relish.

The grain is supposed to feed pupils from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Grade 2. More than 72 000 tonnes of grain have been allocated to all rural schools in the province this month.

"Some of the schools which benefited are facing challenges of transport to ferry grain to their schools. However, most schools are facing challenges of finding relish to feed the children," read the report.

"Gwanda is the one which has a high number of schools which have already started feeding out of all the province's seven districts with all 100 schools in the district already started feeding the pupils. Most of them rely on soya beans, cabbages, beans and kapenta fish."

The report read that all schools in Beitbridge have not implemented the programme resulting in most pupils facing starvation.

"Grades 3-7 are also starving in Beitbridge. They go to the extent of coming to the feeding point where they will sit looking at those who are benefiting from the programme being fed."

The provincial head of the Social Welfare Department, Mr Totambirepi Tirivavi chaired the meeting. An official from the Ministry of Finance said Treasury has allocated $50 000 for the schools to secure relish although the money has not yet been released.

More than 33 000 households need food aid in Matabeleland South to cushion them from the effects of the drought. The number of vulnerable households in the province jumped from 20 345 in January to 33 061 as of March.