Maverick Citizen Op-Ed: Department of Basic Education should take advantage of a supervisory court order to get children fed, now

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Despite a supervisory court order that compels the Department of Basic Education to resume its school nutrition programme during the Covid-19 lockdown, the low uptake of food availability by food-insecure learners is hugely concerning and points to transport and communication problems that must be addressed. The department would greatly benefit from the collaboration and co-operation with civil society that is the purpose of the court order.

has been running since the beginning of South Africa’s democracy and now feeds more than nine million learners nutritious meals every day. The programme has been hailed as a successful poverty alleviation measure that contributes to learner concentration, school attendance and outcomes, and to meeting the basic nutritional needs of learners.

The court held that the programme must continue to provide food to all learners, whether or not they have been phased in to return to learning at school. President Cyril Ramaphosa then alsoReinstating the programme is in the clear interests of learners and in realisation of their rights to basic education, basic nutrition, dignity and equality.

The court ordered the development and sharing of plans and programmes and reporting on implementation of such plans and programmes by each MEC and by the minister. The reports are due every 15 days from the order of the court, with the next report falling due at the end of this week, being 28 August.

This court-ordered process, if utilised to its full potential, can facilitate a meaningful engagement between the parties wherein solutions are negotiated to remedy the issues impeding effective implementation.

 

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