Commodities such as Sorghum and beans are in short supply across the country and primary schools in the North West District are feeling the brunt of the food shortage.
The Council’s Education Department has confirmed that other food stuffs that are in short supply include eggs and milk, which the children need as a nutritional supplement for their growth.
“The Ministry has advised that such commodities be replaced with beef and mealie-meal to ensure that pupils are fed at schools,” explained the council’s Public relations officer, Tsholofelo Mogale.
Molale added that however breakfast is served accordingly while the procurement process for milk supply is still at the evaluation stage, “Once the tender has been awarded, milk will form part of the breakfast menu.” Molale explained.
At breakfast the learners are expected to be served rooibos tea with bread (spread with butter, peanut butter or jam), boiled egg, motogo (soft porridge of either maize meal or sorghum) with milk and a fruit, an orange or apple.
“Because of shortage of sorghum, learners are given maize meal at breakfast instead,” said Mogale.
Although there is shortage some parents have not even noticed it, “You know what I have not noticed that there is shortage because I always make sure that my child carries his own lunch pack. He has never liked the school food anyway and again each time I drop him off I see other learners having breakfast,” commented Gladys Ramoabi, a mother to a standard 5 student at Matlapana primary school.
However another parent David Dirwa had a divergent view, “Some children come from disadvantaged backgrounds and those meals are very important as they could be their only meal of the day and it is very disappointing to see government failing to feed such a small number of learners.”
Dirwa added that the little food that is there is neither appetising nor nutritious, “All they give the children is plain white samp with salt, no relish, no nothing. The children spend the day thirsty from eating “naked” samp. ”
Councillor for Kgosing/Kubung, Tswelelo Sebati noted that despite his ward having two primary schools, Bonatla and Matlola, the shortages have not yet been reported to him, “Now that you have mentioned it, I will follow it up.”
The government’s School Feeding Programme has its origin in drought relief, with its principle being a focus on enhancing nutrition of young children.
It began under World Food Programme but was taken over by government in 1998.
The aim was to prevent children from feeling hungry during lessons, provide learners with a balanced diet and to improve school attendance among other reasons.
Managed under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development which oversees all Councils, the Feeding programme was then modified around 2018 to include home grown produce including water melon, maize and vegetables among others in order to broaden its nutrition value to learners and economic value for rural households and local farmers.
Botswana government further introduced breakfast for primary school learners since 2019 and all 758 schools across the country have to provide two meals a day for learners estimated to be around 370,000 in total.
A meal is provided in the morning before the beginning of class and another meal at midday. There is an additional third meal for pupils in Rural Administration Areas.
