Poor Limpopo pupils get meals during lockdown

Alex Matlala

Thousands of pupils from impoverished families in Limpopo will from today get free meals from the department of basic education.

The department announced yesterday that those who would benefit from the programme would be children who were part of the National School Nutrition Programme in the province.

MEC for education, Polly Boshielo, said the programme would begin today and Grades R to 12 pupils would benefit. She said the department would feed children in quintile one, two and three schools.

“Whether the children will be going to school or not, they will be receiving their daily meals from their schools at specific times,” said the MEC.

Boshielo said her department has already instructed service providers to deliver food to allocated schools for food handlers to start with preparations.

She added that schools participating in the programme using the decentralised model have also been directed to procure for all their pupils.

Boshielo said while the department was ready to roll out the programme, she warned that children would only be served meals at their schools.

She explained that schools which were earmarked to benefit from the programme were further directed to develop workable mechanisms of feeding within the guidelines of combating the spread of Covid-19.

“These require schools to take into consideration aspects of social distancing, hand washing, sanitising all work surfaces, cooking food thoroughly and ensuring that pupils do not share utensils, food or drinks,” she said.

The news to feed pupils was received with cheers by many people, especially parents, who depended solely on government social grants to put food on the table for their families.