The Eastern Cape Department of Education hosted a National School Nutrition Program (NSNP) Preparatory session at Thandulwazi Primary School, Buffalo City Municipal District, on the 28 February 2024.

The purpose of the NSNP is to enhance Learning capacity and to promote access to Education by providing nutritious meals to Learners in Quantile 1-3 public ordinary schools and targeted special schools. 

The impact of the program is linked to improve quality of life through access to lifelong Learning.

When asked Mr. Mabona, NSNP Project officer based at head office, what is the intended outcomes of the NSNP would be, he had the following to say, “We want to embrace attendance, class participation and improve learner performance.”

Mabona further went to say, NSNP conditional grant mandate is preparing, serving breakfast before classes commence and serve a nutritious meal on time.

“As the NSNP Monitors and the collective in Buffalo City Municipality District, we will start inviting Thandulwazi to meetings with other schools within the BCMD, to share best practices to encourage other schools to comply and excel in their implementation of the NSNP program in their respective schools,” said Mr. K Yekela

“As the school Principal, I believe the NSNP preparatory session was a success because as a school that previously won the best schools awards in 2022 it is our tradition to implement the program according to the NSNP guidelines and its three major objectives, which is provision of nutritious meals to Learners, promotion of sustainable food production initiative and strengthening of nutrition education,” said Ms Stuurman.

Speaking on behalf of Learners from Thandulwazi Primary School was Imange Nqenani, female 12.

Imange said, “We appreciate the ECDoE to have hosted the NSNP in our school that is part of a rural arear, other kids benefit from the Nutrition program because they don’t have even a basic meal back home their hope is when they come to school and the meals prepared for us are health and better than what we use to buy at the local shops.”