1. National School Nutrition Programme
Presentation to Standing Committee for Education
24 August 2005
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2. Focus of presentation
Provide committee with a brief overview of status of NSNP 18 months into its management by the Education Department;
Highlight some of the key shifts made;
Highlight further shifts being contemplated;
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3. Targets of NSNP in 2004/5 f/y
Ensure smooth transition of scheme from DoH to DoE;
Create capacity to manage scheme at all critical levels;
Improve quality of food and service;
Ensure feeding for at least 156 of the total number of school days;
Refine targeting criteria to ensure reach to poorest learners
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4. Achievements in Year One
Programme successfully transferred and integrated into education;
Feeding approximately 5million learners in schools for required number of days;
Created NSNP units in all 9 provinces;
Provided training for 200 district managers on project management – special focus on monitoring
Visited and monitored programme in schools mainly in rural, farm and informal settlements
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5. Achievements in 2004/05
Engaged and paid a modest honorarium to unemployed women who are heads of households
Contracted 316 SMMEs who are resident in communities where we are feeding;
98,5% of budget spent by end of March.
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6. Key focus for 2005/06
Strengthened monitoring and a quality service that is properly targeted;
Sustainable Food Production in schools
Stimulation of local economy;
Job Creation
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7. Strengthened monitoring
Monitoring visits by provinces officials stipulated and within guiding framework – complimented by adhoc visits by DoE;
Provincial monitoring focuses on quality of service including adherence to menus, food preparation and food handling;
DoE focuses on the above as well as management of finances.
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8. Sustainable Food Production
Major drive to ensure operational school/community gardens in all schools where feeding happening;
Capacity established both in the DoE and in the 9 provinces to assist schools.
2803 new gardens established in the 9 provinces;
Target to increase these by an additional in current f/y;
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9. Sustainable Food Production
Collaboration primarily with Departments of Agriculture and Health hugely beneficial to project;
In KZN, DoA assisting in the training of school communities in productive gardening. Benefit spilled over to local communities who have established own gardens.
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10. Sustainable Food Production
In Mpumalanga partnership with DoH resulted in irrigation systems being set up in 37 schools;
In NW the Agriculture Research Council providing seedlings for Fleshy Sweet Potato in targeted schools and providing assistance in planting them;
In NC, DWAF has donated fruit trees to schools and DoH a variety of vegetable seeds for schools and home use.
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11. Stimulation of local economy
In 5 provinces (FS, Gauteng, Limpopo, NC and NW) government prescription that local SMEs be preferred service providers;
North West narrowed this to parents with learners in a particular school feeding their children;
Both NW and NC prescribe number of schools to be serviced by any one provider, to curb monopolies;
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12. Stimulation of local economy
In KZN local women already being trained as cooperatives that the programme can draw on;
To date SMEs being utilised – of the targeted for the 2005/06 f/y
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13. Job Creation(?)
Systematic targeting of volunteer food handlers enabling DoE to create some job opportunities;
Target for 2005/06, but already engaging in the programme;
Honorarium given to volunteers critical – currently sits at a range of between R80 and R512 p/m
Intention of DoE to prescribe that honorarium to be no less than R400 p/m for a 4hr day;
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14. Key remaining challenges
Refining targeting criteria to prioritise truly needy learners;
Shift to broader school nutrition programme to address not only issues of hunger but link to healthy life-styles;
Move to sustain feeding beyond school days for needy and orphaned children;
Increase community engagement and particularly parental involvement in all aspects of the programme.
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