By Dr Jonathan Kivumbi
On Wednesday, May 9, 2018, New Vision ran a story, Parents’ Reluctance Retards School Feeding Policy. And on Friday, May 11, 2018, the same paper still published a story, Sensitise Parents on School Feeding, First Lady Urges Leaders.
And just recently, September 3, 2024, Daily Monitor, ran a headline, Feed Your Pupils-Milk, Eggs-Janet. Upon reading this headline, I almost blacked out, for without a doubt, I just could not believe that such words would come out of a person presiding over a ministry, whose teachers take sugarcanes, row cassava, and brown posho, among other things, as their meals, while at school, and most certainly, even in their homes. For goodness sake, Maama, how do you expect a school, operating under the sheds of trees, to afford this luxury?
The adage goes in Luganda, ‘Ttolina kyolya ng’ olamuza mbwa?’ Which literary means, It is senseless for a person lacking food themselves, to think of purchasing a dog.*Take it, or leave it, Maama, a person that cannot fend for themselves, cannot definitely have the capacity of fending for a dog. The biggest percentage of our schools are operating in a very sorry state, and advising them to feed their children on milk and eggs, arguably, tantamounts to a mockery. In fact, this is the equivalent of Marie Antoinette’s words to the French revolutionaries in the 18th century, ‘If you cannot afford bread, go buy yourselves cakes.’
Details of whatever these words resulted into would, perhaps, be discussed, at a later date. Maama, with all due respect, I pray we learn from history, so as to avoid making the same mistakes that those who lived and/or led before us, made. In fact, Maama, given the opportunity, as pledged 5 years back, I am more than ready to take you around some of these schools you are advising to feed their pupils on milk and eggs.
Perhaps, this will help you accept the reality, that your advice, or directive, is just a mere truism, that cannot be implemented in whichever way, given the status quo of our country’s education, even in the century to come. Worry not, we do not have to waste our time, energy, and other related resources to travel to Ntoroko, Alebtong, or Moroto; Kampala and Wakiso, are just enough for us to draw the desired conclusion. I bet, not even schools in your home area, Ankole, the land of milk, as it is popularly called, can afford this luxury.
All that our children need at school, is a decent meal, that, of course, comprises porridge for breakfast and posho and beans for lunch, and not, this luxury of milk and eggs. Trust me, as a ministry, endeavour to make this available in all schools, countrywide, exclusive of your ideal milk and eggs, and see the results; certainly, you will thank me later. A national feeding policy, and not, milk and eggs, is all we need, to fix the hunger gap in schools.
I pledge to submit to you a well-polished write-up, based on scientific research, on how best we can go about this. My concern is, schools are full of hungry children, who are not learning. Why don’t we feed them? I beg to submit!
Thank you! All in the spirit of, For God and My Country!
Jonathan Kivumbi Educationist, communication and language skills analyst +256 (0) 770880185 WhatsApp +256(0) 702303190
