Basic Education Department has blamed its failure to provide meals to over nine million learners nationwide on logistics

SAfm — The Basic Education Department has blamed its failure to provide meals to over nine million learners nationwide on logistics and lack of infrastructure. Equal Education approached the Pretoria High Court on an urgent basis to seek an order to compel government to provide meals to learners, regardless of whether they have returned to school or not. The programme which feeds nine million learners was suspended in March due to the lockdown. It resumed on June 8 when schools reopened, but Equal Education says seven and a half million children did not received meals on June 8, and close to 4 -million are still deprived of meals despite the programme being fully funded.