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Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
THE government will soon start a feeding scheme for pupils in schools to curb drop-outs caused by hunger, the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Professor Paul Mavhima, has said.

He told The Chronicle on Wednesday that they had received a number of reports on school dropouts due to hunger, a problem that he said requires immediate attention.

Prof Mavhima said this at the commissioning of three classroom blocks and five teachers’ cottages as well as furniture at Malanda Secondary School in Tsholotsho.

Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Yoshi Tendai Hiraishi, said they had provided nearly $200, 000 for the project in which Plan international also assisted.

“Honestly, we have had quite a number of reports stating that in some areas pupils are no longer going to school because of the hunger situation. Parents are keeping their children at home than letting them go to school fearing they may collapse because of hunger. Food aid will improve pupils’ attendance,” said Prof Mavhima.

He said provinces like Masvingo, Midlands and the Matabeleland region are hard hit by drought and need immediate assistance.

“This is a national issue and so there are ministries that are responsible for that. From our Ministry as Primary and Secondary Education, we are coming up with a programme for school feeding.

“We can’t do it alone though, other ministries like Finance will have to come in to provide the needed resources. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare should also provide its services, especially to the vulnerable,” he said.

Prof Mavhima said schools should be able to offer at least one meal during the course of the day.

“An acceptable situation will be one where the school provides at least one meal to pupils, maybe starting with the younger ones in infant school. But an optimal arrangement will be one where every school offers a meal to all students,” he said.

“Countries like Brazil do that perfectly well and some developed countries provide school feeding up to “A” level and so we need to develop such a programme in Zimbabwe.”

The Deputy Minister said all rural schools must embrace the introduction of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

He said STEM was crucial for any country’s national development and it should be introduced to children at an early stage, even in rural schools.

“This is why at this school you will need to develop a state of the art laboratory for science. You will need to also develop a technical and vocational workshop in order to make sure that pupils benefit from these STEM subjects,” said Prof Mavhima.