( Real News Antigua)…Proper nutrition and learning go hand in hand, says MP Richard
Lewis, representative for St. John’s Rural West, in a plea for the
School Meals Programme to be returned to its former glory.
This social programme was introduced by the Baldwin Spencer
Administration with the tagline “Nutrition for Learning;” but it has
since veered away from this mission.
While students used to be provided with hot lunches that included
all the food groups, these days they are being served hot dogs and
hamburgers, usually without a vegetable or fruit, while the
accompanying bottle of water has long been removed by the Browne
Administration.
Up to Wednesday, January 24, photos of the day’s luncheon – a
hamburger bun with cheese or tuna, according to a number of
teachers, with a small boxed juice – were being shared on social
media.
Lewis says the programme needs to be revamped to meet the
challenges of the present day.
Additionally, he says the breakfast programme that serves schools
in vulnerable communities needs to be expanded, as well, since
many students go to school without having had something to eat.
Now, with parents feeling over-burdened by tax hikes and with food
prices increasing accordingly, those who can already ill-afford to
give their children a good breakfast are going to have an even more
difficult time, the representative notes.
Thus, Lewis says, the feeding programme’s expansion is vital.
Meanwhile, to further assist parents during these hard economic
times, MP Lewis is calling for the number of uniforms granted
annually to go up.
Under the original School Uniform Grant – another social
programme of the Spencer Government – parents were allowed two
school uniforms per child. At present, under the Browne
Administration, only one is issued.
Many residents were surprised and disappointed when – following
the COVID-19 pandemic and the reopening of schools – the
programme returned with the grant of a single uniform per child.
Given the financial state of many families – due to the
unemployment and under-employment of parents – residents were
expecting at least two uniforms in a sympathetic response to their
plight.
