19 Jun 2019

Tonota Sub-district Council has been allocated P2 million for primary schools’ breakfast this financial year.

This was revealed by Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso at a kgotla meeting in Jamataka on June 18.

She noted that the breakfast programme was introduced this financial year following the realisation that some children went to school without having anything to eat.

She said it affected their learning and performance, adding that the arrangement should not be taken advantage of by parents and ignore their responsibility.

Ms Tshireletso noted that the Children’s Act of 2009 stipulated that both parents had the responsibility to look after their children through an arrangement of core parenting if they were no longer together.

She highlighted that there were some needy children who were looked after by government, adding that their parents were alive and able-bodied but had decided n

ot to take their responsibilities. She said through the act such parents could be fined amounts ranging from P5 000 to P20 000 for child negligence.

Ms Tshireletso urged parents not to find themselves on the wrong side of the law, adding that they were some parents, particularly mothers, who had choosen to deny their ex-partners a chance to bond and care for their children because of their differences.

She said it was wrong and that a person could be changed because a child had the right to enjoy the love of both parents despite their differences.

The assistant minister also stated that because of the new arrangement to provide breakfast, Ipelegeng quotas across villages were going to be increased since some of them were going to prepare the breakfast in schools.

She said increasing the quotas would benefit residents as more would be engaged on the programme, hence improve their livelihoods.

Residents commended government for the initiative, saying it was going to improve the well-being of many children that were not being cared for by their parents.

However, one of the residents, Ms Ditshupegetso Majeremane proposed that the government should intensify the assessment and monitoring of social care beneficiaries, noting that some orphans and needy children did not enjoy the assistance because their guardians took the goods for personal use or for their children.

She said some orphans were made to share clothes given to them by social welfare officers with other children whose parents had the means to buy them clothes.

She further said some exchanged food for cash hence disadvantaging the children. ENDs