By: Andrew Carmichael
Taking into consideration the various concerns that have been raised regarding the existing breakfast menu under the Ministry of Education’s breakfast school feeding programme, some new additions will be made while others removed, as authorities seek to cater to the needs of the beneficiaries.
This was disclosed by National Programme Coordinator Mahindra Phagwa during the closing ceremony of a two-day training exercise for 51 caterers who supply the food for schools in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Regional Educational Officer Sattish Udit explained that the government’s breakfast programme is of tremendous benefit to the region however, he said that over the past school year, the Education Department has received numerous complaints.
“That is the quality of the breakfast,” he revealed.
Phagwa said authorities have taken note of those complaints. “So we feel that it is very important that we train these private contractors and caterers on the food and nutrition aspect of these menus so as to reduce the number of complaints that we would receive and to ensure effective and constant delivery of these across not just Region Six but across all the regions.”
According to Phagwa, many of the complaints are based on cultural preferences which are now being taken into consideration.
“Oftentimes the first thing that we think of the nutritional aspect but we also need to be cognisant that these are young students that we are dealing with and so the cultural aspect has to be taken into consideration too.”
Currently, students were given either boiled and fried channa, boiled and fried blackeye peas, cheese sandwiches, or cereal and milk.
The new menu will see the removal of the blackeye peas meal and the addition of fruit bowls, potato pies, dhal puri and sour or dhal puri and potato curry, and hot dogs.
The new menu will take effect when the school term begins in September.
Currently, more than 13,000 pupils are benefitting from the government’s breakfast programme.
This programme is in addition to the Education Ministry’s Hot Meal Programme which serves meals to primary and primary top students in Regions One, Two, Three, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten.
