Help needed to secure breakfast in schools programmes

26th July 2011
For Immediate Release

Help needed to secure breakfast in schools programmes

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is welcoming a report calling for the government to step in and help fund breakfast in schools programmes.

The Hunger for Learning report from the Child Poverty Action Group says breakfasts should be provided on a universal basis to children attending decile 1 and 2 primary and intermediate schools. It also says breakfast programmes need to be resourced through regular and secure partial funding.

Hundreds of schools rely on charities and business support to run crucial breakfast programmes for their students. The Red Cross breakfast in schools programme has stopped because the supermarket chain Countdown has pulled out.

NZEI says it is well-documented that having a proper breakfast and adequate food has a huge impact on a child’s ability to concentrate, learn and behave well.

“It makes a big difference in the classroom and teachers see first-hand the effect it has on a child’s achievement,” says NZEI Immediate Past President Frances Nelson.

“Ideally there would be no need for these types of programmes, but the reality is quite different, and with more and more families struggling to make ends meet with cost of living increases, the need will grow.

“Whether people like it or not, providing breakfast for children who need it has become a wider social responsibility for schools which want to ensure their students get the most of teaching and learning. It’s not fair to see children missing out on opportunities through no fault of their own,” she says.

The government continues to throw tens of millions of dollars into National Standards which will do nothing to raise student achievement as they don’t take account of the social factors which impact on a child’s ability to learn.

“It would be useful if the government would consider taking just a small part of that and putting it into programmes like breakfast in schools, which really do help children get the most of their learning,” says Ms Nelson.

ENDS

© Scoop Media