Education Dept bans sale of Food items at NCD School premises

PRINCIPALS, head teachers, managers and teachers in charge in NCD schools must ensure that the sale of food and other items by vendors in and around the school premises are banned when classes resume after the term holidays.

In a circular issued recently by Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra, he has instructed all schools to immediately ban the sale of food and other items in and around school premises in the schools in the National Capital District schools only.

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This direction was given because of the following reasons:

 The sale of food items in the open poses health risks;

 Parents and guardians are not taking the responsibility to prepare suitable and healthy meals for their children;

 The school premises both inside and outside are littered with rubbish;

 Extra work is created for schools to clean up rubbish left from the sale of items;

 Potential sale of unwanted and illegal items to the students; and

 Unnecessary people loitering around and disturbing students learning.

The National Capital District Commission health and hygiene sector and the NCD police have also been requested to assist in the enforcement of this direction.

“NCD school inspectors are to ensure full compliance,” he said.

Health Minister Sir Puka Temu was in support of this directive and had also called on all the schools’ boards of governors to ensure nutritious food were sold in their school canteens.

Sir Puka said malnutrition in school aged children was a growing concern for the country because these impairments limit a child’s education and employment prospects.

“Healthy nutritious food contributes to the brain development of a child so parents and guardians must ensure their child or children must eat healthy foods.

“I have seen a lot of vendors selling a lot of unhealthy food, especially junk to school children inside and outside of their school premises and this has become a concern as the Health Minister,” he said.

Sir Puka said that together with the Education Department, they would ensure to get all school canteens to operate and provide and serve healthy meals .