Teachers across Swaziland are
reporting that schools are forced to close early because there is no food to
feed children.
Zwelithini Mndzebele,
General Secretary of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT),
told local media the union had a number of reports that some schools had broken
early each day because of food shortages.
Mndzebele blamed government
for being slow in paying school fees so principals could not buy supplementary
food.
The Swazi Observer on Friday (3 February 2017) reported Mndzebele
saying, ‘Some of the pupils come to school without having eaten anything and
they rely on the feeding programme at school for food. They cannot stand the
long hours on empty stomachs, hence the principals cut the days short so they
can concentrate and be able to grasp something,’ he said.
Mndzebele added, ‘Imagine
the impact the shortened classes will have in the long-term work, pupils will
be behind schedule on school work and this will mean a bad ending.’
The Observer reported that the Ministry of Education and Training had
said it handed out food last year and it should be available.
Mndzebele said there were
no proper facilities to store food. ‘The ministry must understand that most of
the store rooms in the schools lack ventilation. Imagine the state of the food
that have been kept in those store rooms for almost two months.’
He said the government had
not yet paid the money to support free primary education (PFE) so principals
had nothing to buy supplementary food while waiting for government to deliver.
The Ministry of Education
and Training delivered about 200kg of rice, and 300kg to 500kg of mealie-meal a
month, plus beans depending on the size of the school. Mndzebele said this was
usually not enough so school principals then used the FPE money to buy more
food.
See also
SWAZI
KING GETS NEW JET AS PEOPLE STARVE
DROUGHT:
‘PEOPLE DIED OF HUNGER’
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