Economic crunch: Private schools pile more pressure on parents, demand balanced diet for pupils

The way things are going, it appears the economic crunch will be more telling on parents who have pupils in primary and secondary schools.

This is as schools are now dictating to parents what type of food their wards will be bringing to school for lunch.

Despite that parents are now struggling to put food on the table, the schools appear to be more concerned about the balanced diet of their pupils – a case of if you can’t stand the heat, leave the kitchen.

For the schools, gone are the days when parents give whatever food they can afford to their wards to take to school.

Today, most private schools have adopted a balanced diet lunch formula for pupils including fruit days.

Economy&Lifestyle discovered that the mandate from schools is that every child is mandated to bring a particular type of food twice and if such food is repeated a third time, it will be rejected.

Again, two days are set aside as fruit days which means that varieties of fruits will dominate the pupils’ lunches in those days.

Although Economy &Lifestyle discovered that most parents are struggling to keep pace with this new mandate, most private schools are adamant to back down.

Mr. George Olorunfemi, a bricklayer, said he had to tell his wife to skip school for his children whenever they didn’t have the money for a different meal from the previous day for their school lunch.

“This new style these private primary schools are adopting is worrisome sometimes. Yes, it is good to eat a balanced diet.But many parents can hardly afford three square meals per day not to talk of a balanced diet.

“When my wife informed me about my two sons’ school mandating a balanced diet and fruit days for the children, I told her to keep them at home when they are having the same meal as the previous day for lunch.

“Those days when I was in primary school, there was nothing like a balanced diet for school lunch.

“You go home to even have lunch. We still progressed in our academics.

“If the country was good I wouldn’t have been doing bricklaying jobs instead I will be working in a very good organization due to my academic qualifications. But I thank God.”

Mrs. Judith Maxwell, a satchet water hawker said: “I have a three year old daughter. Recently, I enrolled her in kindergarten class.

“The first school I went to, they gave me this balanced diet and fruit as rules for my child’s lunch.

“Immediately, I heard it, I wept. The staff didn’t know why but within myself I hoped I could afford a balanced diet laced with fruits for my daughter. Which parent won’t want such?

“I went to three schools, the same rules. It was the fourth school that didn’t include such rules. Some of the teachers in these schools can hardly afford a balanced diet.

“They fail to understand that apart from the inability to afford such meals, some children select a lot and want to eat their best meal all the time.

“In such a scenario, the child takes the food to school and returns the food untouched thereby starving.”

Mrs. Stella Omorodion, a commercial tomato and pepper grinder, said: “I have three children in a private primary school.

“When they introduced this balanced diet thing I told their teachers that I will give my children what I have as food. I cannot go to steal because I want to give them balanced diets.

“In this present economy where everyone is struggling for survival, some people are still thinking of a balanced diet.

“No parents will want to deprive their children of balanced diets. But now, people are cutting their coats according to their clothes.

“When their troubles were too much, I moved my children from the school.

“How much am I earning? There are bills, school fees, books among other things to sort out and a school is seeking a balanced diet.”

Mr. Martins Ogbemudia, an educationist explaining the importance of such rules in primary schools said: “A balanced diet is good nutrition that helps to improve the cognitive function of pupils by enhancing their learning ability, growth and development.

“Such meals give children the ability to concentrate instead of sleeping in class which in turn results in academic success.

“It builds the child’s brain and nurtures it till adulthood. However, the struggles of most parents can hardly yield two square meals talk of a balanced diet.”

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