Students to get nutritional boost in school meals

Children on school feeding programmes here will soon receive a nutritional boost in their meals. A project geared at improving the nutritional status and eating behaviour of schoolchildren was officially launched on Wednesday. While speaking at the launch, chief education officer Lou-Anne Gilchrist{{more}} declared that an individual is what he/she eats and therefore, persons should consider what they are putting into their bodies.

“You are what you eat. How many of us are potatoes? How many of us are broccoli, how many of us are rice, how many are ice cream…think about it,” she said.

Gilchrist also highlighted the importance for the Ministry, as custodians of approximately 30,000 students, to ensure that they are having nutritionally sound meals.

“It is important that we ensure that the meals prepared and served to the students are healthy. That they are nutritious and that they provide at least 1/3 of the nutritional needs of the students. We do recognize that there are some shortcomings when it comes to the preparation of meals and the nutritional value of the meals. We hope that at the end of it all, these schools will be able to provide nutritious, healthy meals, because at the end of the day, we have to ensure that…these things are put into place,” the chief education officer said.

In addition, Gilchrist pointed out that there is a link between healthy lifestyles, sound academic outcomes and good nutrition, and for this reason, it is necessary for students to be provided with nutritious meals at school.

“Whatever deficit exists in their nutrition at home, the Ministry of Education along with the Ministry of Health are bound to ensure that these deficits are taken care of,” she said.

The Mustique Charitable Trust (MCT) is funding the project, donating EC$28,560 to the cause.

On behalf of the trustees, administrator of the Trust, Lavinia Gunn expressed pleasure to be a part of the project.

Gunn explained that the organization has been involved in providing grants to some schools to improve their school feeding programmes.

However, the administrator is hoping that by funding this project, MCT will be able to help in a much larger way.

“The trustees and myself, we have been very concerned with nutritional content of school meals. We have been working with school principals and school managers, but this project is very, very timely because very often when we go into school on a completely different project… what they tell us is that some students are unable to concentrate or unable to realize their true potential because they’re either coming to school hungry or they can’t afford the one dollar for school meals that is subsidized by the Ministry of Education,” Gunn said.

“The resulting problem is that many children as they say, “bun school”. They would come for the morning and they are absent in the afternoons. However, what we’re hoping is that this grant of $28,560 is expected to spread the nutrition unit’s programme to enhance nutrition education in schools, both at the primary and secondary level.”

The project, which began in January 2014 and is expected to end in December 2015, is a collaboration of the Ministries of Education and Health.

The goals of the project include improving the nutritional status and eating behaviour of schoolchildren through strengthening capacity for provision of school meals in schools where there is a school feeding programme and delivering effective nutritional education and promotion, using national dietary guidelines.

Although it was initially designed for primary schools where there are feeding programmes, it is expected that the project will include other schools, including secondary institutions.(BK)