Some students are continuing to consume food from outside canteens despite a feeding program being provided in schools.
The Program Manager of the Timor-Leste Coalition for Education (TLCE), Matias dos Santos, said the program’s implementation was not well organized and students still had to wait in long lines to receive their meal.
“Therefore, some students decide to buy food from a canteen nearby,” he said.
Some of the food vendors selling snacks such as sour fruits, candy and ice blocks around schools and inside classrooms were also teachers.
Dos Santos said students were therefore receiving food from three different sources each day: the school feeding program, nearby canteens and teachers.
He said the matter was a serious issue that required the urgent attention of the competent ministries as the food sold around the schools was not hygienic and could affect students’ health.
However, Farol Basic School student Margarida Baptista said although the program was a good initiative, she did not believe the food was prepared in hygienic conditions.
“I used to eat food from the program, but now I only buy food from the canteen,” she said.
Member of Commission F (responsible for health, education, culture, veteran affairs and equality) MP Ilda Maria da Conceicao appealed to basic school principals to intervene to prevent food vendors selling food around schools.
“Selling in schools shouldn’t be allowed so students can consume the food prepared by schools,” she said.
She also called on the Ministry of Education to build dining areas in schools to reduce queuing times and provide a proper place for students to eat.
The government began implementing the school feeding program in some schools this year as part of a pilot project. It has now been rolled out in three municipalities, with the aim of encouraging students to participate more actively in the classroom and reduce the number of students who fail.
A high number of students left school or failed before the school feeding program was implemented as a result of hunger.
The long distances required to travel to school meant many students often leave their homes without having had breakfast.
