OPINION | Centralising school feeding scheme guarantees long-term sustainability

In recent weeks basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube cancelled the National Schools Nutrition Programme (NSNP) tender, stressing that “extensive due diligence” was necessary before migrating to a new centralised system for the school feeding programme. This necessary step is crucial and the minister needs to be supported for such stance.

Taking into consideration that the NSNP is responsible for feeding more than 10-million learners yearly and has continued to witness many challenges through the years, the need for due diligence is highly recommended to avert scenes as witnessed with the collapse of the KwaZulu-Natal’s feeding scheme.

The failure of the R2bn feeding scheme in KwaZulu-Natal was attributed to improper agreement between service provider and retail company, so it is only prudent for minister Gwarube to ensure that efficient controls and accountability mechanisms are in place before moving forward with a tender of this magnitude and avoid scenes where a school receives just 24 litres of sour milk to feed 350 learners for a week.

The narrative surrounding the R9.8bn annual tender aimed at modernising the programme has been unnecessarily tainted with accusations of corruption, especially by the office of the minister. While the intention behind the suspension may have been to review and strengthen the process, the negative public perception created by the pause has sparked widespread concern. It is no secret that the minister under the government of national unity (GNU) is a staunch DA member, thus much of her actions are often overshadowed by her association with the party – case in point the BELA Bill matter.

However, it is essential that the integrity of the NSNP is maintained and that the minister corrects the prevailing negative narrative to restore public faith in the programme.

Feed our kids is firm on two things:

Centralisation of the programme is the most viable, cost effective and corruption busting stance to ensure the sustainability of the programme in the long term.
The minister must own the process from the beginning as a political head with strong governance understanding.

In several public statements, the minister has outlined the many areas she is concerned about the currently halted process. We expect that when she restarts the process, she will have put in place risk mitigating factors for the areas she had concerns. This should be standard procedure for any tender or contract despite the project value. Given its national significance and the far-reaching implications of NSNP’s failure for the future of this country, this project requires hands-on management at the highest level. We want to reiterate and suggest the following to the minister and the department:

The minister should be at the center of the programme, providing oversight, governance and accountability from the start.
The minister should involve the Auditor-General SA (AGSA) from the beginning as part of the programme project management office. This should ensure that from the tendering process to the final contract negotiations, every rand to be spent is accounted for. The AGSA is well-positioned to provide the level of scrutiny needed for a programme as large and important as the NSNP.

The minister should make sure that this process is transparent to public scrutiny. The perception of corruption often stems from a lack of transparency in public processes, especially when large sums of money are involved.

To counter this, the department of basic education (DBE) must take proactive steps to communicate openly about the tender process by publishing clear criteria for how service providers are selected, how funds are allocated and what measures are in place to prevent corruption. Regular public updates on the progress of the NSNP, including milestones achieved and challenges faced, would also help to alleviate concerns and build trust.

The DBE should encourage public participation in the process, inviting feedback and suggestions from educators, parents and community leaders.

Clear communications of this programme’s roll out will help start a journey to rebuild public trust and demonstrate that GNU is serious about clean government and not just political rhetoric.

The goal behind modernising the NSNP is not to centralise control but to improve inefficiencies and better serve school-going children. It is therefore important that children’s welfare is at the center of this programme.

It is critical to ensure the process is not misrepresented as merely centralisation, which would breed mistrust, but instead, be an opportunity for DBE to modernise and safeguard both the programme’s integrity, tackle concerns of corruption, ensure greater accountability and set a benchmark for future public tenders under the GNU.

The weight of this responsibility demands a leader who is not only committed to the success of the NSNP but also capable of teaching old dogs’ new ways and addressing red flags before they escalate. For years, as a country, we have yearned for younger, fresher and more innovative cabinet members. This is her opportunity to change the narrative and implement the necessary improvements.