OFFICIAL HANDOVER OF THE MOBILE KITCHEN AND CRICKET FACILITY TO NW PROVINCE
The North West Department of Education signaled a warm welcome to the Department of Basic Education, Cricket South Africa, Senwes and National Lotteries Commission for partnering in delivering the Kitchen and Cricket Facility, to the needy learners of Rabana Primary School, in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District. The partnership marked a significant co-operation of the proverbial Public Sector Partnership and is a blueprint for what is possible when the public and private sector work together.
The official handover was organized and facilitated through a section of National School Nutrition Programme within the Department and was done on the 25 October 2019. Rabana Primary School is situated in Klipplaatdrift, between Ventersdorp and Klerksdorp, and has 147 learners and 2 Volunteer Food Handlers.
The need to provide the school with the facilities was identify by the now Acting Director General for DBE, Dr Granville Whittle when he visited Rabana Primary School in 2018, with Cricket South Africa.
During his visit to the school, the Deputy Director General responsible for Social Mobilization and Support Services, Dr Granville Whittle( now Acting DG) together with Cricket SA , learned that the preparation food area for learners was not safe as meals were prepared in an open space. As a result of the identified problem, the Department of Basic Education set aside a budget estimated at R400,000 to procure a mobile kitchen and assists the school towards improving the preparation area.
The preparation area is currently making Volunteer Food Handlers ( VFHs) to love their job and cook meals in a more cleaner and safer environment. The provision of the Cricket facilities was also necessitated by the 2016 partnership that was entered into by the Department of Basic Education, Cricket South Africa and Senwes , in promoting sports in schools. Cricket South Africa was therefore assisted by Lottery to provide Cricket facility to the school. Education (according to the CEO of Cricket South Africa Mr Thabang Moroe) is incomplete without Sport-because sport can give you an alternative to life. The Board Member, Cricket S A, Mr Angelo Carolissen also emphasized that “promoting sport in schools is crucial for learner’s well-being”.
The Acting Director General, Dr Granville Whittle during his speech thanked the Department and the Principal of the school, Mrs S van Jaarsveld for allowing all partners the opportunity to deliver the crucial equipments to the poor and needy learners of Rabana Primary School. In his last remarks, the ADG said that “I am pleased that today’s launch of the two initiatives throughout this partnerships, affirms the belief that nutrition and sport goes hand in hand”.
The Director for Learner Social Support Services in the North West Province, Mr Titus Seboko indicated that NSNP in the Province is currently feeding 1332 Quintile 1-3 schools (Primary, Secondary and Farm), as well as Identified Special Schools with 648 734 learners benefitting from the Programme.
He further announced that for the period of two years, the Department has employed at least 4485 Voluntary Food Handlers (VFHs) in different schools within the North West Province.
Mr Seboko also highlighted that the Department has a strong partnership with other Provincial Departments and secured donations from other Private Sectors and NGOs, solely for the benefit of a poorer and most needy learner in the Province. He lastly applauded DBE to assists the NW Department of Education with the second set of mobile Kitchen, since they delivered the first one to Rekgonne Bapo Special School, at Madbeng in March 2019.
