Parents; Provide lunch for your children

PAUL R. ARUHO

I read with dismay the Daily Monitor’s article that government should provide lunch to UPE pupils,(see Gov’t urged to allocate shs40 billion for UPE meals). I could not believe what I was reading when the chairperson of public Account’s Committee Hon. Nandala Mafabi was quoted saying that some parents cannot afford providing meals for their children.
The way some things are being handled in this country is driving people to the other side of poverty line. Why should one assume that a parent is not capable of providing lunch to his/her school going child?
In the past men and youths could work to provide for their homes, pay school fees for their children and taxes. Some people are awashing the populace to have a ‘handout receiving’ mentality where the government is to provide everything.
There is a Chinese saying that instead of giving someone a fish, teach him how to do the fish. The introduction of UPE, USE and the abolition of graduated tax is making the majority rural people not to work. Some politicians and religious leaders have many times complained that family heads are now found seated in trading centres playing cards and gambling.
"Why should I waste time looking for money? I don’t have any pressing need that needs cash," Asah Nuwagaba, 43 a father of six told me when I found him in a bar drinking alcohol in the wee hours of the morning.
Family heads have been deprived of their responsibility of taking care of their homes. The father thinks that since the wife can manage to go to the family garden and get enough food for the children, that’s enough. Fathers no longer pay taxes, school fees for their children and now people are saying they cannot afford providing lunch for their children in UPE schools.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of education and sports was reported saying that pupils should always carry packed food to school. It reminded me the olden days when we carried that food happily and sharing it with our friends during lunch break. This helped us to keep in school and attend afternoon lessons not on empty stomachs. I remember there was no struggle on this; it was a must to carry food.
The government has always been or sounded tough on some particular issues. I cannot see the reason why it cannot use the same measures to coerce parents to provide lunch for their children. Is it because it has already started to be sensitive to of 2011?
Recently I read in our papers the president saying that he will man handle any head teacher who charges extra money for lunch from students on UPE and USE programs. Head teachers are saying it is very difficult to teach a hungry student. They are being parental and sympathetic to these children who don’t eat at lunch time.
As the public’s committee chairman Hon. Nandala Mafabi was saying that the ministry of education and sports should look for 40 billion per term to feed UPE pupils, there are other issues that need this money. Parents should be sensitized that it is their obligation to provide lunch for their school going children. The government is doing its work, let parents play their part. Many of us never had these free hand outs and we came out fairly successful.
Writer is a teacher and journalist
paul202us@yahoo.com