Management of the school nutrition programme at primary schools in Tembisa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which principals and school nutrition programme coordinators (nutrition coordinators) manage the responsibility of ensuring that the nutrition programme is implemented at their schools without interfering with the process of teaching and learning. The study includes a literature review and an empirical investigation. The specific knowledge gained from this research may add to the body of knowledge in the field of Education Management and should inform educators, principals, policy makers and individuals concerned with the management of school nutrition programmes on strategies that could be applied in managing the primary school nutrition programme. The data was collected by administering semi-structured interviews and observations. Five public primary school principals and five coordinators from Tembisa on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg (Gauteng, South Africa) were interviewed. The results showed that the majority of principals and coordinators admitted that the programme enhanced learners’ performance at school, but felt that there were specific challenges in managing the programme. Some of the principals and coordinators experienced the programme as an additional burden to the educators who were already overloaded with curriculum lessons. Most of the schools indicated that feeding time sometimes overlapped with the learners’ class time, due to the large number of learners being served by one food handler. This study recommends that the SGB should reconsider the installation of food preparation facilities at schools. Other mechanisms should be sought to relieve the already overburdened educators from running the programme. Measuring scales should be available at all schools to ensure that the weight of delivered food items agree with the kilograms stated on the delivery invoice. The Department of Education should involve experts when planning the menu to warrant better nutritional value and effective delivery of the school nutrition programme. Regular seminars and workshops should be arranged for food suppliers, programme committee members and food handlers to ensure effective management and implementation of the programme.