Undocumented children of immigrants in South Africa have a constitutional right to education, yet many remain excluded from essential school nutrition programmes. Speaking on PM Drive, education activist Hendrick Makaneta expressed concern over how these learners are often overlooked due to budget constraints linked to documentation.
“Majority of our children do get access to nutrition at school, particularly those in quintile one up to quintile three schools,” Makaneta explained.
“The reality is that since the ruling by the Makhanda High Court, which said that even undocumented children should be registered in our schools, the intensity of the problem has escalated. There is more that is needed.”
He added that funding for school nutrition programmes is allocated based on the number of learners with birth certificates. “Those who don’t have documents are not catered for in terms of the allocation of money that goes to nutrition programmes. For us, this is a great concern because it means some learners will be left behind, learners who will not have food,” Makaneta stressed.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
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