Various officials came together at Pella Moravian Primary to observe Nutrition Week at the end of October, and encourage pupils to develop good, nutritious eating habits.
Central to this event is the National Schools Feeding Programme (NSFP), a joint venture of the departments of Education, Health and Social Development, which aims to enhance learning through providing nutritious meals.
NSFP director Lindelwa Sopotela says government has set aside R350 million for the 2016-17 financial year to help schools provide nutritious meals for pupils.
“We are currently feeding 474 597 pupils in 1 015 schools with this feeding programme,” she said.
Participating schools receive conditional grants especially to play their part in establishing their own or a community vegetable garden.
Educating pupils in eating healthily is also an essential aspect of the programme. “Pupils are taught the importance of eating a balanced meal, which contains carbohydrates, protein as well as fruit and vegetables,” Sopotela said. “In turn, they can go home and teach their families healthy eating habits and thus continue the cycle of good, healthy eating.”
She added that since the inception of the programme, pupils are more punctual, a positive increase in their concentration has been observed, as has improved cognitive learning as well as general well being.
In the build-up to Nutrition Week, pupils from the school were encouraged to portray nutritional health in a creative way through creative writing, art, crafts and painting, also exhibited at the school. The top three pupils in each category were also announced and won prizes for their works.
.
