Mat North schools need food aide

SCHOOLS in Matabeleland North should ideally provide a meal per day for pupils in the province which is among the worst affected by hunger to create a conducive learning environment, an official has said.

Sunday News reported that provincial education director Boithathelo Mnguni said virtually all schools in the province except boarding schools were having problems of pupils complaining or underperforming because of hunger.

"The problem of hunger is all over the province but some areas are more critical than others with schools in Binga and Tsholotsho the worst affected. We will re-assess the situation when schools open but in general we have communicated to our parent ministry the need for supplementary feeding at schools."

Towards the end of last term, there were reports of "hunger induced absenteeism" at some schools in the province especially Binga where a pupil was reported to have collapsed only to be discovered at the local clinic that this was due to hunger after going for three days without eating.

"We need a meal at school supplied by the school just in the same way you eat something for lunch when you are at work," said Mrs Mnguni. "Even in cases where there is food in the granaries at home it is not a guarantee that children will have it. There are issues to do with the distribution of that food, cultural attitudes about who eats first and eats what. Having a meal at school will neutralise the effects of these attitudes."

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Lazarus Dokora, announced last month that supplementary feeding will start in most schools especially in rural areas when schools open for the second term next week. In February, President Mugabe declared a state of disaster for the drought amid reports that an estimated 2,4 million people were in need of food aid.