AN investigation at Nyimba East Primary School has uncovered a significant discrepancy in the operational reality of the school feeding programme, where parents are paying a K20 monthly fee to keep the initiative operational. While the Ministry of Education maintains that the programme is entirely free and labels such fees as illegal, an education advocate argues that the fee is a necessary “evil” necessitated by governments’ failure to fully fund the initiative. Dressed in a Chitenge, this reporter joined a local parent to verify whispers that the programme now comes with a secret price tag. The rumours proved factual after this reporter and the parent were referred by the school head teacher to a committee to make the payment. The...
