What Is The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP)?
The National School Nutrition Programme is the government programme that provides one nutritious meal to all learners in poorer primary and secondary schools. The objective is to provide nutritious meals to learners so as to improve their ability to learn. According to its 2013/14 annual report, the programme has reached more than 9 million learners in quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools.
The programme also teaches learners and parents how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and promotes development of school vegetable gardens.The DBE and provincial education departments have made numerous promises about resuming the NSNP for all learners, but later broke these commitments.
These broken promises violate learners’ constitutional rights to basic nutrition, basic education and equality – and contribute to the increased suffering of entire households during this difficult time. In a context of heightened food insecurity amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the NSNP reaches millions of households who need nutritional support now more than ever – government should use the programme effectively to combat hunger and suffering.
How Has The Government Contributed To Nutrition In South Africa
Government is contributing towards poverty alleviating through:
1. Nutrition programs– Nutrition programs started by the government provides food to the ones who cannot afford food to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also, the government has started a ‘eat right’ initiative which educates the individuals to eat right and in correct amount. This has become the rightful need as the obesity and other eating disorder is on rise.
2. Social grants– Grants are given to needy so that they can thrive with a bit ease.
3. Access to free basic education– A basic education is the right of every individual is a motto of the government. This motto makes sure that every individual who wishes to seek a primary education is given the required support and guidance. Also, primary education is provided free to individuals who cannot afford it.
4. Free healthcare- Hospitals and clinics run free clinics which are funded by government. This institutions makes sure that everyone who cannot afford a proper healthcare is given a absolute free of discounted treatment. Also, insurance helps the individual to be ready for any medical emergencies which he/she might encounter.
5. Housing– People who cannot afford a shade to live under is provided a home in government run shelter home. Running such homes gives rise to employment.
At Odds With The Constitution In South Africa
The Constitution guarantees that everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food (section 27(1)(b)); however, this is not an absolute right as its realisation is dependent on the availability of state resources. Notwithstanding this, section 28(1)(c) guarantees the absolute right of every child to basic nutrition – the realisation of this right places an unqualified obligation on the state to provide sufficient nutrition (without the limitation of the availability of state resources).
For each of the other five constitutionally guaranteed socio-economic rights (housing, health, water, social security and education), separate acts have been passed by Parliament. Although enshrined in the Constitution, South Africa has no statutory instrument that focuses exclusively, or in the main, on the constitutionally guaranteed socio-economic right to food security and nutrition. Yet, with unacceptable levels of hunger before the lockdown, ensuring the human rights of children to nutrition should be a core component of the disaster response.
Demand For Food Charity Increasing
Provincial governments and local municipalities report that the need for food assistance has escalated. In the virus epicentres of Gauteng and the Western Cape, governments have committed to reaching the poor and prioritising families with children. The Western Cape government has allocated an extra R53-million emergency funding to ensure children from poor homes are fed. That department aims to deliver 10,000 cooked meals per day for one month and set aside R18-million to initiate a special school feeding programme this month, which will target the 485,000 existing school feeding scheme beneficiaries, with one takeaway meal a day, at approximately 1,000 schools.
The Gauteng government reports that calls from families for food have doubled in the first two weeks of lockdown. It has set aside R80-million toward a feeding scheme to fight hunger during the lockdown, feeding 2,000 families a day. But these efforts are limited in scope. Current projections are that the Covid-19 effects will only peak in September. Just how much can the government afford to provide and how will the most in need be identified? With a Gauteng population of 14.6 million, one in five households is food insecure under ordinary circumstances.
While the numbers of hungry people will swell, the existing programmes already know who the most vulnerable people prior to 5 March 2020 were and systems were in place to support them. These are now no longer functioning and available. The offices of the National Social Security programmes are closed, although provincial governments have established call centres where people can apply for support.
