Michael Sakuneka

Michael Sakuneka

Parents of pupils of Modika Secondary School in Khekhutini village, Bolobedu, have threatened to withdraw their children from the school because there is no nutrition programme.

This after the school was placed in the quintile 4 category with rich schools. Under this category the school does not qualify for financial support from the government.

A teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, said pupils at her school were supposed to benefit from the nutrition programme for secondary schools that started last month.

She said this was now impossible because of the category in which the school had been placed.

According to provisions by the department schools in quintile 4 are rated as rich and pupils are not entitled to receiving food.

The teacher said the budget allocated to the school every year by the department was very small compared with that of quintile 2 schools.

She said they had taken up the matter with the department from circuit to the province without success.

Parents said the pupils bunked classes because of hunger.

The school also lacked modern technology such as photocopiers and computers because of inadequate finances.

"We will soon withdraw our children and enroll them with rural schools that the government pours funds into and classes are uninterrupted," said an angry parent.

Modika Secondary was rated as one of the best performing schools in the Rakwadu circuit last year and had managed an 73,3 percent matric pass rate.