Discussion | How will scholar transport and nutrition budget cuts affect learners?

JOHANNESBURG – Providing pupils with an adequate meals at school is part of their right to basic education according to Demichelle Petherbridge, senior attorney of the Education Rights Programme at Section 27.

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The Gauteng Education MEC has announced budget cuts for scholar transport and school nutrition programmes.

They say this is in order to retain teachers following national government budget cuts.

Petherbridge said, “We know in provinces like KZN we have learners that are walking incredibly far distances over dangerous terrain and sometimes that’s not the case in Gauteng.” 

“Children have a right to this meal, it forms part of their right to basic education, so cutting funding so that learners who qualify are no longer going to get meals, is really quite problematic.”