Government to probe schools operating private restaurants
Most schools have introduced a practice of setting up restaurants within the school premises.
Prime Minister, Robina Nabbanja has asked lawmakers to furnish Government with information about schools operating private restaurants, where students from rich families eat their meals, while the students from poorer families get their food from school dining halls.
According to Nabbanja this discrimination has left parents under immense pressure to provide for their children.
Her remarks followed a concern raised by Florence Natumanya the Kikuube district Woman Member of Parliament, who asked the Prime Minister to explain why schools are operating private restaurants inside their schools.
“Most schools have introduced a practice of setting up restaurants within the school premises. This has created up classes among our children, with children of the rich eating from restaurants and those for the poor, eating from the dining halls. Parents are under pressure from their children for lots of money to support their special diets in the school restaurants,” she noted.
Natumanya asked the premier to inform Parliament why schools abandoned the tradition of all schools having a uniform diet provided by the school administration.
In response, Prime Minister, Robina Nabbanja informed Parliament that the Policy from Ministry of Education only deals with safety and security of food consumed by learners and hence asked MPs to provide more information on the schools undertaking such practices for further investigation.
“The Ministry of Education and Sports follows the rules set out on the basic requirements and minimum standards when it comes to regulating issues of food consumption in schools,”
These rules according to Nabbanja stipulate that food should be handled according to the relevant laws of food safety and security guidelines to protect learners.
