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Education Department supports initiative for more nutritious school meals
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Principal Education Officer in the Ministry of Education Mrs Jennifer Hodge receives a freshly harvested head of lettuce from the Containerised Vegetable production from a teacher at the St. Thomas Primary School. (L-R) looking on are Director of Agriculture on Nevis Dr. Kelvin Daily, FAO National Correspondent DR. Keith Archibald and Deputy Director Mr. Keithley Amory (partly hidden)
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CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (October 17, 2007) -- The Department of Education on Nevis has thrown its support behind the Department of Agriculture’s initiative to enhance the nutritional value of meals prepared for the School Feeding Programmes at primary schools on the island.
Principal Education Officer Mrs. Jennifer Hodge said the Department was aware that fast food and junk food values were taking over the Nevisian food culture of cooking affordable, wholesome and delicious food and the schools were as good a place as any to start a public education drive on good nutrition.
She made the comment on October 16, 2007, during the launch of the Containerised Vegetable Production at the St. Thomas and Ivor Walters primary Schools on Nevis.
“The Department of Education throws its support solidly behind this very timely initiative and the multiplying effect it can have on the community in terms of promoting good healthy eating habits.
“Learning is supposed to be fun and at first it might take some convincing to
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| Students of the St. Thomas Primary eagerly look to the fruits of their labour at their school’s Containerised Vegetable Production plot |
show the children how much pleasure can be derived from caring for the plants and knowing when they are ripe for reaping but it is important that children see how to plant and care for a garden and the fundamental lessons learned in understanding how food gets on the table.
When they watch them grow and help nurture them they may be far more willing to eat their fruits and vegetables,” she said.
The top Education Official referred to a recent study which was conducted by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute which revealed that children on Nevis had not been consuming the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.
A situation which she noted would lead to an increase in the number of nutritionally related non-communicable diseases which included obesity.
She said 40 years ago the worldwide concern was that of physical unfitness in children but in today’s world the worry was the health of children.
Mrs. Hodge referred to child obesity as shocking and cited that the rate of increase was that one out of every three children was expected to develop diabetes and for afro American children the statistic was one out of every two.
Mrs Hodge explained that teachers at both the primary schools who had been involved in the Food and Agricultural Organisation funded Tefood project which commenced in September, had been given a opportunity to integrate real food into the lives of the children.
~~Adz:Left~~ She said the Department of Education took their responsibility to promote nutritious meals in the launch programme very seriously.
“Imagine the impact on agriculture when the schools serve only local products and all the children participate in the lunch programme! If all were consuming healthy, organic food, the agricultural landscape will have to change rapidly to meet the demand,” she said.
The Department of Education was a willing partner in the project and announced that the Violet O Jeffers Nicholls, St. James Primary Schools were prepared to embrace the project. “We have seen how well it works and we are ready,” she said.
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