1. The NSNP is funded by a conditional grant received quarterly from the national Department of Basic Education (DBE). The current legal framework for this grant is spelled out in the Division of Revenue Act (DoRA), 2014.

2. The following, among others, are the minimum requirements applicable to the managing and operation of the NSNP:
2.1 Meals must be provided to all learners in all Quintile 1 to 3 public primary and secondary schools on all school days. (The programme was officially extended to include Quintile 3 public secondary schools in April 2011.)
2.2 Meals take priority, irrespective of any functions or events at the school, and must be served at the prescribed times each day. Fruit and vegetables must be served on the prescribed days.
2.3 The school principal, as the accounting officer, is responsible for the overall management of the programme at the school and for ensuring its success. The duties of the principal include the following:

  • To identify and nominate an educator to serve as the NSNP school co-ordinator. (The co-ordinator will oversee the daily activities of the programme, ensure adequate recordkeeping in line with NSNP guidelines and report to the principal.)

  • To ensure the appointment of volunteer food handlers (VFHs) (unemployed parents from the community) to assist with the preparation and serving of meals. (More information on VFHs is provided under paragraph 5 below.)
2.4 To ensure that the feeding time at the school does not encroach on teaching time, it is imperative that the feeding time is carefully planned and timetabled, and that proper supervision takes place during that time.
2.5 The programme is designed to ensure that learners receive their meals within the first two hours of the school day, as many of these learners would not have eaten a meal during the previous 12 hours. Breakfast must be served before 8:00am and the main meal not later than 12:30pm.
2.6 The keeping of a daily feeding register and a VFHs' attendance register is explained in NSNP Guideline No. 1. These registers must be completed daily so as to record how many learners received meals and how many VFHs were on duty each day.
2.7 According to the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Standard No. SANS 1539, only one 19kg gas cylinder is allowed in the kitchen.
2.8 It must be noted that documentation concerning payments to VFHs is sent out on a yearly basis to all schools involved in the NSNP. According to the DoRA an honorarium of a minimum of R900 per person per month will be paid, in line with a food handler to learner ratio of 1:200. A ratio of 1:120 is recommended for schools where learner enrolment is 250 or fewer. District co-ordinators are assigned to check the stipulated honorarium when they visit schools and ensure that food handlers sign the stipend book.

3. The school governing body (SGB) is expected to:

  • give support when it comes to acquiring additional requirements for the programme;
  • ensure that the programme is implemented effectively; and
  • assist the principal in appointing the VFHs.
4. With regard to the use of VFHs in the programme, the following needs to be emphasised:
4.1 VFHs are responsible for the preparation, cooking and serving of meals, and for cleaning the cooking area. They are expected to maintain a high level of personal hygiene.
4.2 VFHs will be appointed and receive monthly honoraria in line with the approved WCED scales and rates for volunteers.
4.3 A VFH registration form must be completed when a VFH is appointed. The completed form must be faxed to the NSNP co-ordinator at the relevant education district office.
4.4 The NSNP co-ordinator at the district office must be informed in writing when a VFH leaves the employ of the school so that the monthly honorarium transfer for that person can be stopped.
4.5 The full honorarium amount, as indicated in the volunteer honorarium scale, must be paid to a VFH.
4.6 VFHs must receive their monthly honorarium by the end of each month. Each VFH must sign a volunteer verification document to acknowledge receipt of the honorarium payment.
4.7 An agreement must be entered into between the school and each VFH. It must be signed by both the school and the VFH concerned. An example of such an agreement is to be found in NSNP Guideline No. 5 and should be adapted to the needs of the school. It is recommended that this agreement be renewed annually on 1 April. Copies of signed agreements must be kept in the school’s NSNP file.

(During their visits, the audit and monitoring team found that some schools did not have signed VFH agreements. The school principal must ensure that all their VFHs sign agreements and that these are appropriately filed.)


5. The NSNP has supplied all schools with a NSNP file. The NSNP school co-ordinator must ensure that they keep all the relevant documentation pertaining to the NSNP in the file provided.

6. Quintile 1 to 3 schools that do not feed all their learners must make their co-ordinators and VFHs aware of this fact. Letters from schools requesting a deviation from whole school feeding must be provided to the provincial office for record keeping.

7. It is very important that the expiry dates on all food items are checked thoroughly and it must be noted that the shelf life of food should not be exceeded under any circumstances.

8. There should be thorough planning so as to prevent a shortage of gas.

9. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our principals and NSNP staff for their commitment, dedication and enthusiasm when it comes to taking care of our children.


SIGNED: PA VINJEVOLD
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2014:04:09