SOME PUPILS BUNK CLASSES - HEAD TEACHERS

MBABANE - “Some children have begun missing classes due to the lack of food in schools.”

This is according to some head teachers who were interviewed by this publication. They claimed that as the schools had run out of food, the pupils were requested to carry their own lunch boxes. One head teacher said, due to this decision, some of the children had resorted not to attending classes.  In an interview with this publication, a head teacher, who requested to remain anonymous, stated that his school had an increase in the number of absentees from the time they ran out of food. He said when investigating the matter, the teachers mentioned that the pupils said they failed to concentrate in class.  

“We have not had food in the school for about a week now and I have been noticing a decrease in the number of pupils attending lessons. I then consulted with the teachers to find out why. They told me that the lack of food in the school had, played a major part, as most pupils came from less privileged homes in the townships,” he said.  Another mentioned that in his school, about 60 per cent were orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), who were from poor backgrounds and benefited greatly from the school feeding programme. He said the lack of food in the school had affected a lot of their pupils, as while some did not attend classes, others could not concentrate because they were hungry.

Affected

“The lack of food in the school has affected us greatly, as the food did not only help in feeding the children, but closed the gap between those who came from poor backgrounds and those from well-off families. This is because some do afford lunch boxes or money to buy food,” he said.  He mentioned that it would also affect the children and due to hunger, they would not be able to concentrate in class.  He mentioned that government needed to request assistance from relevant partners to help in donating food, as the situation was bad. Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary Bheki Gama stated that schools experiencing the lack of food needed to consult with the ministry through the regional educations offices.  

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