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

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)

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is a poverty alleviation strategy, which was introduced in 1994 by the Government of South Africa as part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Studies of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), show that hunger, nutrition, and poverty, are strongly correlated. The same studies note that in the world as a whole, hunger impacts negatively on the Millennium Development Goals, such as universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, and environmental stability. Hunger, specifically, has been shown to contribute to reduced school attendance, impaired cognitive capacity, high child mortality rates, high maternal death rates, increased migratory labour that increases the spread of HIV, and the unsustainable use of forest lands and resources. The National School Nutrition Programme aims at providing meals to mostly needy learners, who come from poor families. Healthy food provides energy for the brain. The meals that are provided at schools are, therefore, intended to give energy for mental and physical activities for the body, for the brain to function, to make learners alert and receptive during lessons. Initially, meals in South African Schools were provided to all learners in Quintile 1, 2 and 3 public primary schools from Grades R to 7. The programme was extended to Quintile 1 secondary schools in April 2009. All Quintile 2 and 3 public secondary schools were included in 2010 and 2011, respectively. To collect information for research purposes, the researcher used an interview questionnaire. This approach, which is used by the researcher, seeks to identify the impediments that pose challenges to effective and efficient implementation and management of the NSNP in the Bakenberg North Circuit of the Department of Education in the Limpopo Province. The sample covered three secondary schools participating in the NSNP in the Bakenberg Circuits. In each school, the principal, the heads of departments and the teacher, formed part of the sample of the study. The empirical findings were analysed and interpreted, and in presenting the findings, special reference to the research questions was made, namely: “An assessment of theimplementation and management of NSNP in the Bakenberg North Circuit secondary schools.” The study shows that the Department of Education in the Limpopo Province has not managed the NSNP efficiently and effectively. The findings of this study reflect that there are still challenges that continue to plague the NSNP after so many years since inception of the programme by the Department of Education. The empirical findings of this study have revealed that the challenges confronting the implementation of the NSNP could be attributed to poor governance and corruption by the Department of Education officials. Some pockets of excellence of the NSNP are noted in the study. Recommendations are made to mitigate the problem situation. The study therefore recommends the:  Menu supplied by the department to be followed,  Monitoring to be done at schools,  Storage facilities to be improved,  Issues of myth to be cleared among learners regarding the programme.

This study evaluates the school feeding programme at Magog Primary School. It sets out as its objective to find out how the programme operates and its potential impact on school children, including challenges, if any, and recommends solutions to mitigate the challenges. It was motivated by the need to provide information which could be used as a basis to ensure that the nutritional and educational objectives of the National School Nutritional Programme are achieved. A review of literature demonstrated that, within the developmental framework, the point of view of civil society, government and the academia on the school feeding programmes are a valuable strategy to intervene in the nutritional and cognitive development of learners. It also made it evident that there are diverse views as to whether the School Feeding Programme is achieving its intended objectives. The findings of this study suggest that, although the programme has the potential to improve nutrition and health, enrolment, attendance and cognitive development, there are still some challenges and areas that need to be addressed and improved. These challenges arise as a result of lack of effective monitoring and evaluation, geographical location of the schools and other implementation flaws. The consequences are that the objectives of the National School Nutritional Programme are placed at risk. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

This study evaluates the school feeding programme at Magog Primary School. It sets out as its objective to find out how the programme operates and its potential impact on school children, including challenges, if any, and recommends solutions to mitigate the challenges. It was motivated by the need to provide information which could be used as a basis to ensure that the nutritional and educational objectives of the National School Nutritional Programme are achieved. A review of literature demonstrated that, within the developmental framework, the point of view of civil society, government and the academia on the school feeding programmes are a valuable strategy to intervene in the nutritional and cognitive development of learners. It also made it evident that there are diverse views as to whether the School Feeding Programme is achieving its intended objectives. The findings of this study suggest that, although the programme has the potential to improve nutrition and health, enrolment, attendance and cognitive development, there are still some challenges and areas that need to be addressed and improved. These challenges arise as a result of lack of effective monitoring and evaluation, geographical location of the schools and other implementation flaws. The consequences are that the objectives of the National School Nutritional Programme are placed at risk. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

The objectives of this study were to determine the nature of data recorded on the Road to Health Card (RtHC) and its utilisation by nurses at primary health care setting, comparing it with norms and standards on the RtHC guideline, and to provide guidelines for optimal utilisation of the RtHC by health workers. A quantitative nonexperimental descriptive method was used. Two methods were used to collect data; document analysis of the RtHC and structure observation of nurses. A structured exit interview of caregivers was conducted to validate observations from nurses. A sample size of 18 nurses from all categories from six clinics was observed, and 36 RtHC of children under five years of age were analysed. Results indicated that data recorded on the RtHC was mostly inaccurate, incomplete and not interpreted. The study identified a need to train health workers on optimal utilisation of the RtHC facilitating health improvement of children under five years of age. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The objectives of this study were to determine the nature of data recorded on the Road to Health Card (RtHC) and its utilisation by nurses at primary health care setting, comparing it with norms and standards on the RtHC guideline, and to provide guidelines for optimal utilisation of the RtHC by health workers. A quantitative nonexperimental descriptive method was used. Two methods were used to collect data; document analysis of the RtHC and structure observation of nurses. A structured exit interview of caregivers was conducted to validate observations from nurses. A sample size of 18 nurses from all categories from six clinics was observed, and 36 RtHC of children under five years of age were analysed. Results indicated that data recorded on the RtHC was mostly inaccurate, incomplete and not interpreted. The study identified a need to train health workers on optimal utilisation of the RtHC facilitating health improvement of children under five years of age. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Thesis (MNutr (Human Nutrition))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / There is convincing evidence linking school feeding to improved educational outcomes. The Primary School Nutrition Programme (PSNP) was first implemented in 1994 and aimed to improve educational outcomes by alleviating short-term hunger and improving school attendance and punctuality. Responsibility for the programme was transferred from the Department of Health (DoH) to the Department of Education (DoE) in 2004 and the name was changed to the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) at this time. Previous evaluations of the PSNP / NSNP had reported problems associated with foodservice management and general management aspects of the programme. The study was a cross-sectional, observational investigation of foodservice management and general management practices in primary schools running the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Twenty-three schools were visited to investigate practices at each school relating to compliance with DoE menus and prescribed service time of the meal, the food delivery system and utilities available. The food handling and hygiene training and practices and general management practices linked to the NSNP were investigated. Most of the schools (78%) were using the DoE menus but only half (52%) served the meal at or before 10h00, which is an ongoing problem. Receiving and storage procedures were adequate at most schools. Food quality does not appear to be a problem in the Pietermaritzburg schools. The lack of expiry dates on food packages remains a problem area and should be addressed. Most of the schools had a designated kitchen area but these facilities could be upgraded. Most schools cooked on gas and 35% of schools had no running water in the kitchen. Kitchens should, at least, have hot and cold running water and adequate working space. Most schools reported that they run out of gas during the month. The monthly DoE allocation for gas should be reviewed to ensure schools have enough gas for the whole month. The holding time for cooked food should be kept to a minimum to minimise the risk of food poisoning. Some schools had insufficient plates (26%) and cutlery (35%). Standardised portion sizes were served at 70% of schools and food handlers reported that learners usually finish all the food. Food handlers at 70% of the schools had received training in food safety and hygiene but 26% of these had only received training once. Training was found to be significantly associated with hand washing (p=0.002), clean uniforms (p=0.036) iv and sanitising practices (p=0.035). Training should be provided in short, ongoing sessions. General management aspects of the NSNP remain a problem. Policies and procedures should be drawn up and implemented to provide a minimum standard of operations at schools. Monitoring should be conducted on a regular basis. The NSNP is running reasonably well in Pietermaritzburg. Adhering to prescribed meal times and upgrading kitchen facilities could result in improvements. Food handler training could also be conducted more frequently. General management aspects need to be improved.

DEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / Although on its introduction the focus of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) was to improve health and nutritional status of South African school children, it was put in place to improve school attendance, curb absenteeism and drop-out by children of school going age as a result of hunger and poverty. It was also meant to improve the learning capacity of children since access to nutritious meals has the potential to improve their concentration levels during instructional discourses, which can enhance the quality of educational outcomes. This study explored the views of education stakeholders on the challenges they encountered in implementing the NSNP in achieving its educational goals at two schools in the Vhembe District in South Africa. Specifically, the study investigated how the NSNP influences school access, attendance and participation at schools that are benefiting from the NSNP in an endeavour to establish strategies for improving the quality of schooling. Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs was applied to explain how children’s basic needs can be a foundation to their educational needs and aspirations. A case study design involving two schools was adopted for the study and the qualitative research approach was employed. Purposive sampling method was employed to select two secondary school principals, ten secondary school class teachers per school, ten learners who were beneficiaries of the NSNP and ten of their counterparts who were not on NSNP per school, and two circuit NSNP officers. Individual and focus group interviews, documentary study and observations were used to collect data, which were analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed that: the National School Nutrition Programme is a credible strategy for learners from poor backgrounds to access schooling and reduce their school drop-out; there was no clear difference in academic performance between leaners who participated and those who opted out of the Programme; educators felt overwhelmed by administrative work for the feeding programme, which compromised on their co-responsibilities; there were inadequate workshops to equip service providers of the Programme; food was provided under poor hygiene conditions which made some learners to opt out of the Programme; Programme records had inaccurate information. Based on the main study findings, the study recommended that the programme should continue as the majority of learners were benefiting; the Programme should have its own v administrative personnel; there should be regular staff development workshops on the Programme; schools should erect proper infrastructure for food storage and service; a multi- ministerial team of experts from health, education Programme; and all schools that have the Programme should maintain nutrition gardens for provision of fresh food. Finally, for the effective role-taking by duty-bearers for the Programme, the study concluded by recommending a model called the Increasing Achievement Mode for the National School Nutrition Programme.

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which a School Nutrition Programme can catalyse community-based environmental learning and promote food security in the school and the community. This is an interpretive case study of a junior secondary school in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The school is located in an area characterised by high levels of poverty and under-nutrition. The school’s food garden, a central focus of this study, contributes to the School Nutrition Programme, which falls under the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). The aim of the NSNP is to alleviate poverty in public schools. This case study was conducted by means of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis and field observations. The data set was analysed, firstly, to ascertain if the School Nutrition Programme functions as a community of practise (Wenger, 1998). Thereafter, the data set was analysed to identify the knowledge related to food security and environmental sustainability that is learned and shared in the School Nutrition Programme, and also how such learning took place. The study found that the School’s Nutrition Programme was indeed operating as a community of practice and that it created a platform for sharing explicit and tacit knowledge and skills related to food security and environmental sustainability. The case study also revealed the contextual and experience-based nature of knowledge related to food cultivation.