Last week, the Ministry of Education announced that it will cut funding to the feeding programme in boarding secondary schools. The ministry says the money will be channeled to specifically support learners under the 12-Year Basic Education programme from vulnerable families to meet the cost of school lunch, starting the next academic year. The money will be deducted from the capitation grant that government sends to boarding secondary schools. However, some parents have gone up in arms, arguing that the decision will lead to a hike in school fees in secondary schools, while others said that it would be hard to meet the feeding cost without government support. While the concerns of the parents are understandable, they should also appreciate that it is their responsibility to be active participants in the education of their children. Government is already providing free primary and secondary school education on top of subsidizing school feeding. With these government efforts, the parents should also play significant role in the education of their children; it is the duty of every parent to provide for their children, and feeding is one of the basic needs any parent would provide for their children. Instead of lamenting, parents should look at this as a shared responsibility, where government and the parents must each play their role. The initiative is in good faith, and is aimed at improving the quality of education and learning environment in schools. Besides, government has not entirely scrapped the feeding funding in secondary schools. While the government has been supporting every student in boarding school with Rwf156 per day, this will reduce by Rwf100. Addressing the challenge of feeding in schools requires concerted efforts and all stakeholders, including parents, should play their rightful role.
