SOLOMON Mahlangu’s learners again showed they are dedicated to turning problematic issues into success stories to the benefit of their fellow scholars.
The school’s Youth Citizen Action Programme (Ycap) team was jetted off to Swadini Resort near Hoedspruit where they presented their nutrition management programme. The team was nominated winners for having the best Ycap programme in South Africa.
“The team identified the nutrition programme at school not being effective. Out of the more than 1 200 learners only a few hundred were coming to eat,” said Olwen Carson, social worker at Solomon Mahlangu High School in KwaNobuhle.
“So, the Ycap team did research and random surveys and found that there was chaos at break with learners being ill-disciplined, jumping the queue and some pushing to have a second or third meal. Learners also complained that meals were unappetizing.”
Sinovuyo Mduma (16), a member of the Ycap team said, one of the main challenges at the kitchen area was that some learners were afraid of these queues owing to bullying and pushing to be served.
“There was a lack of discipline. So we changed the long separate lines of boys and girls into five lines, each grade forming its own queue. By the third day, the chaos was gone, the lines were moving faster and meals were served fairly,” said Sinovuyo.
The representative council of learners now assist with the queueing to get it done in an orderly manner.
Carson said they invited the Nelson Mandela University’s dietetic department to do an evaluation of the nutritional value of the menu. There are five different meals for each day of the week.
“They found that there were a couple of nutrients like calcium needed. This has been addressed,” said Carson.
CONTINUES ON P 2
