23 November 2007
Maputo — The Mozambican Education Ministry is gradually taking over management of the food assistance programme to schools from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
For 30 years, from 1977 until this year, the WFP provided food for Mozambican boarding schools. For much of this period Mozambique was at war, and faced chronic food shortages.
But now there is no longer any emergency situation and so, starting as from June this year, the programme is being phased out. WFP food aid for Mozambican schools will come to a complete end by the end of 2009.
As from January 2008, the Ministry will take over responsibility for food in 39 technical and vocational institutions. By January 2009, that responsibility will have extended to 85 secondary boarding schools.
The WFP says that the ministry should take over the management of food assistance by the end of 2009 in all the 191 public education institutions that are currently received WFP aid.
During the transitional period, the WFP is continuing to assist some of the schools, but gradually transferring the responsibility to the ministry.
A WFP press release received by AIM says that this UN agency will continue assisting 67 primary and special schools until the end of 2009.
The document adds that the school snack programme, that caters for 195,000 children in primary school day classes across the country will also continue. As part of the transition process, the two parties agreed that the WFP should concentrate its attention on the primary schools.
This agreement is, according to the WFP, in line with the strategic objective to support access to basic education and reduce gender imbalances.
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