Nutrition is one of the basic sciences that underlie a proper understanding of health and human sciences. The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), which is of focus in this regard, is government’s project that responds to problems such as poor nutrition and hunger amongst learners. Originally this programme was designed to provide direct services to primary school learners, to reduce hunger and alleviate the effect of malnutrition on their learning capacity through improvements in the nutritious status of school children. The research on the assessment of the role of NSNP took place at Siyanda SPS in Butterworth. Siyanda SPS was selected because of its geographical location, as it was observed to be one of poverty stricken informal settlement. Key informants for data collection included interviews, direct-observation, content analysis and focus group discussions and photographs. The study provides best practice for implementation of the programme in Yako informal settlement, and encourages local economic development within community members. The study may also add consciousness on matters related to government intervention in human capital development projects, as well as benefiting communities, through initiatives such as employing local women as food preparers and using local food suppliers. The NSNP endow the community with nutritional education, empowering rural dwellers with awareness, and capability to grow their own food. Community members are also well-informed about the benefits of a healthy diet. The NSNP creates chances for learners from underprivileged communities to concentrate better in class, so that they get better results, which possibly will lead to better lifestyles in future.

Thesis (M. Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2016 / The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges in implementing the Nutrition Programme at Khomela Primary School in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. A qualitative research was conducted using case study research design method. The Non-probability sampling method was done through purposive sampling method to select Grade 6 and 7 learners and convenient sampling method for teachers and parents. Data collection was done using individual unstructured interviews. Data was analysed using qualitative data analysis method. Four groups of respondents participated in the study: learners group (n=10) giving information on the meal preference; teachers (n=8) managing and administering the Nutrition Programme at school level; parents and food handlers (food handlers n=2, parents n=5). The study focused on the following challenges: management, infrastructure, training, motivation, food safety, quality of food, delivery by suppliers and feeding time as the main challenges of the Nutrition Programme. The findings of the study concluded that there was poor involvement of teachers and parents in the Nutrition Programme. The study also concluded that the aim and principles of the Nutrition Programme were not well understood at Khomela Primary School. The participants also made suggestions on how the Nutrition Programme could be improved effectively. The study suggested that the school had to conduct awareness campaigns of learners, teachers and parents indicating the importance of the Nutrition Programme in schools. The study also concluded that the school had to be provided with modern a kitchen and a school dining hall. Despite the challenges, the Nutrition Programme had a positive impact on the school enrolment. To minimise the challenges of the Nutrition Programme, the study recommends that the principal and the School Governing Body draft a School Nutrition Policy which is in line with the Nutrition Programme guidelines. The Nutrition Policy should cover issues such as management and administration of the Nutrition Programme.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / One of the major obstacles to children’s growth and development, including performance in the classroom, is malnutrition. The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is an effective yet essential means of addressing the learners’ hunger needs on a daily basis, thereby serving as a tool in boosting learner attendance, academic performance, health and nutrition, and the overall prospects for the children’s future. The present study seeks to examine the challenges experienced by learners benefitting from the National School Nutritional Programme in urban primary schools in Empangeni. An in-depth literature study was followed by an empirical investigation based on a qualitative research design employing questionnaires, focus groups and drawings. The sample consisted of learners, educators and the facilitators of the NSNP. The research findings revealed that learners experienced the following challenges: stigma, problems with transport, scheduling of meals, peer pressure and bullying, inadequate resources, the schools’ menu compliance and flexibility, behavioural issues and primary care. The study also proposed a host of possible suggestions and recommendations to improve the nutritional programmes in school for the overall benefit of all learners. Further avenues for research were discussed so that researchers could expand the programme into the future.

In this thesis, I study the effects of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) on the rural areas of Western Cape, South Africa. More precisely I try to find out how the NSNP has affected the families in this rural area and what attitudes that can be found among the two generations of people living and working on wine farms. The reason for this investigation is that NSNP was set up to increase school attendance among children living in an exposed socioeconomic environment, and I wanted to see how much the NSNP affect people’s daily life, with focus on the ones living on/near wine farms in the more rural areas in Western Cape since these areas holds socioeconomic groups that are exposed in the society.  To answer the research questions, I conducted several interviews with both wine farm workers and pupils living on/near a wine farm. But oral history is more than a method! I wanted to look upon the history from a grassroots perspective with a special focus on the working class, ethnic minorities and women´s part in the history.  My theory is based upon the terms Welfare and Social inequality. These two perspectives describe access to labor market, poverty, education and income support. These aspects highlight different forms of social exclusion which wine farm workers and pupils living on/near wine farm lives in.  With these methods I found out that the NSNP plays a crucial part in the lives of those who lives in the rural areas of Western Cape. Many pupils go to school just because their parents want it due to lack of food at home. The government’s purpose of the NSNP, to increase the school attendance can be seen in the answers giving to me during interviews with wine farm workers.

This study aimed to determine what the effect of a sport development and nutrition intervention programme would be on the following components of psychological development of previously disadvantaged, primary school-aged rugby players: self-esteem; cognitive development, attention and concentration and social support. The participants were primary school boys between the ages of 9 and 14 years from disadvantaged communities. They were recruited on the basis of availability from six primary schools in the Potchefstroom area of the North West Province involved in a rugby development programme. The research design was a randomised, single-blinded, controlled intervention study. The children were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group of children received an exercise intervention and a nutritional supplement twice a week for a period of three months. The control group received no sport or nutritional interventions during this period. The research methodology included pre-testing, intra-testing and post-testing. With the pre-testing a comparison could be drawn between the experimental and control group regarding the above-mentioned psychological components. During the intra testing each of the 2 groups was evaluated separately regarding these components to identify any changes that could have taken place within the group from baseline to end. With the post-testing the 2 groups were compared with each other regarding these components to determine whether the nutrition and exercise interventions resulted in any markable changes to especially the experimental group. The results showed an statistically significant improvement in self-concept within the experimental group (p = 0.028) whereas no difference in self-concept within the control group was obtained. The effect of the intervention programme was not as clearly observable in any of the other psychological components. A longer duration of such an intervention programme could possibly contribute to better test results. The socioeconomic circumstances of the participants played an important role in the final outcome of the study in that it influenced the social support the participants received and it also had an effect on the test behaviour of the participants. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

This study aimed to determine what the effect of a sport development and nutrition intervention programme would be on the following components of psychological development of previously disadvantaged, primary school-aged rugby players: self-esteem; cognitive development, attention and concentration and social support. The participants were primary school boys between the ages of 9 and 14 years from disadvantaged communities. They were recruited on the basis of availability from six primary schools in the Potchefstroom area of the North West Province involved in a rugby development programme. The research design was a randomised, single-blinded, controlled intervention study. The children were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group of children received an exercise intervention and a nutritional supplement twice a week for a period of three months. The control group received no sport or nutritional interventions during this period. The research methodology included pre-testing, intra-testing and post-testing. With the pre-testing a comparison could be drawn between the experimental and control group regarding the above-mentioned psychological components. During the intra testing each of the 2 groups was evaluated separately regarding these components to identify any changes that could have taken place within the group from baseline to end. With the post-testing the 2 groups were compared with each other regarding these components to determine whether the nutrition and exercise interventions resulted in any markable changes to especially the experimental group. The results showed an statistically significant improvement in self-concept within the experimental group (p = 0.028) whereas no difference in self-concept within the control group was obtained. The effect of the intervention programme was not as clearly observable in any of the other psychological components. A longer duration of such an intervention programme could possibly contribute to better test results. The socioeconomic circumstances of the participants played an important role in the final outcome of the study in that it influenced the social support the participants received and it also had an effect on the test behaviour of the participants. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The thesis focuses on the Primary School Nutrition Programme (PSNP), particularly in the Eastern Cape, as a government nutrition and education project, and its failure to achieve its stated goals. The programme experienced problems almost as soon as it was introduced. The press reported incidents of fraud and maladministration and the programme was halted and restarted numerous times. The thesis seeks to offer some insight as to why the government was unable to reach its stated objectives in the implementation phase of the programme. State theory informs the thesis in an attempt to further explain why governments often seem unable to attain their intended goals. The thesis provides an alternative to government development programmes, arguing that NGOs are better equipped to deal with the particular problems that people on the ground experience when dealing with issues like nutritional vulnerability. Operation Hunger provides an excellent case study for how development of this nature ought to occur. The essential argument of the thesis is that there is an inherent tension between what a government's stated intentions is and what, it, in reality, intends to gain from such programmes. It is the contention of this thesis that the Government of National Unity embarked on the PSNP, not to ensure nutritional development for its own sake, but rather to curry favour with its constituents. Operation Hunger, and other organisations like it, provide relief to vulnerable communities with no hidden agenda in mind. Their mandate is solely that they provide assistance. The thesis argues, then, that NGOs have a role in domestic and international politics, that they can make up for or do better, or at least well, things that governments struggle to do.

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which principals and school nutrition programme coordinators (nutrition coordinators) manage the responsibility of ensuring that the nutrition programme is implemented at their schools without interfering with the process of teaching and learning. The study includes a literature review and an empirical investigation. The specific knowledge gained from this research may add to the body of knowledge in the field of Education Management and should inform educators, principals, policy makers and individuals concerned with the management of school nutrition programmes on strategies that could be applied in managing the primary school nutrition programme. The data was collected by administering semi-structured interviews and observations. Five public primary school principals and five coordinators from Tembisa on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg (Gauteng, South Africa) were interviewed. The results showed that the majority of principals and coordinators admitted that the programme enhanced learners’ performance at school, but felt that there were specific challenges in managing the programme. Some of the principals and coordinators experienced the programme as an additional burden to the educators who were already overloaded with curriculum lessons. Most of the schools indicated that feeding time sometimes overlapped with the learners’ class time, due to the large number of learners being served by one food handler. This study recommends that the SGB should reconsider the installation of food preparation facilities at schools. Other mechanisms should be sought to relieve the already overburdened educators from running the programme. Measuring scales should be available at all schools to ensure that the weight of delivered food items agree with the kilograms stated on the delivery invoice. The Department of Education should involve experts when planning the menu to warrant better nutritional value and effective delivery of the school nutrition programme. Regular seminars and workshops should be arranged for food suppliers, programme committee members and food handlers to ensure effective management and implementation of the programme. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The purpose of the study was to assess the coverage and effectiveness of the management of severe acute malnutrition project implemented in Dhas district of Borena zone, Ethiopia, from July 2010 to December 2010. Quantitative, descriptive study was conducted to assess the comparability of the outcome of community-based management of acute malnutrition in a pastoralist area to International Sphere standards using performance indicators. Data collection was done using data capturing sheet. Outpatient therapeutic programme (OPT) registers in all health facilities were the sources of data. Clinical records of children admitted to the programme (n=163) were analysed. Standard nutrition survey result was used to estimate the malnutrition prevalence and programme coverage. International Sphere standard was achieved for mortality rate but not for recovery rate, defaulter rate, length of stay and weight gain / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The main aim of this study was to investigate how effective School Management Teams were in the management of healthy school environments in the Gert Sibande District. This was a qualitative study which employed two data collection strategies: face to face interviews and photographs. A literature review on this study revealed vital aspects, that a healthy school environment: can directly improve children’s health and effective learning; the school is strategically positioned to reach large numbers of the population to teach them to understand the importance of investing in health. Literature indicated collaboration and synergy as essential aspects, and policies as cornerstones that underpin the health promotion initiatives. Selection of sites was purposefully done as three of the four schools in this study were part of the Eco Schools programme. The study revealed that there was disconnect between the SMTs and committees that were involved in health promotion: in coordinating plans; and monitoring and evaluating the implementation of programmes. This therefore, means that there was no support for the committees from the SMT. It was also found that there were committees that: did not have plans; did not sit for meetings and the reluctance of the SMT to address these challenges compounded the situation and contributed to some committees being dysfunctional. The failure of the SMT to guide and provide leadership in their engagement with community members who provided assistance in terms of basic needs to learners indicated a need for the development of a cadre of leaders that are capable of working beyond the borders of schools. In all the committees that were interviewed, the Environmental Committee came up to be more effective and organized than others in three schools. The health committee was lacking in the area of training especially in the prevention of communicable diseases. The study provided recommendations to assist the SMT in their endeavors to promote healthy environments in their schools. / MEd, Education Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012