Samuda hints at possible review of school-feeding programme

Karl Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, yesterday hinted at a review of the policy governing the national school-feeding programme.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the official opening of the newly refurbished science lab at the St Catherine High School in Spanish Town, Samuda said that there have been talks at ministry level regarding the programme, suggesting inadequacies in the system.

“The children need nutrition in order to learn, and that is why in the ministry, we have spoken about the question of revisiting the school-feeding programme, with a view to determining exactly what the cost is to ensure and guarantee that every child attending school can do so with comfort, knowing that they are receiving appropriate nutrition in order to absorb what is being taught,” the minister said.

Samuda said that a recent visit to a high school was enough to give him pause.

“I went to a high school the other day, and the teaching staff told me that many of the students, by 9 o’clock, you can see a difference in their attitude. And when I enquired why, I was told, ‘because they are hungry’.

“It is self-defeating if we build an enormously built building, then we add teachers, we improve the facilities, chairs, desks, and the book supply, but at the base of it all, does the child receive the appropriate nutrition to be able to take advantage of opportunities to learn? That is a main focus of the ministry,” said Samuda.

Only last month, the Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Audley Shaw said that a revised school-feeding programme making use of more local produce would ensure improved health for children and a stable income for farmers.

paul.clarke@gleanerjm.com