Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has again defended the McDonald’s branded foldable desks, stating that the reality of 13.5 million learners and the current budget simply cannot meet the demands of the basic education sector.
Gwarube was addressing the members of the National Assembly, on Tuesday, when the issue of branded foldable desks came up amid ongoing outrage from citizens and civil organisations.
The St Paul's Primary school in Cape Town, Western Cape, was recently handed over the McDonald’s branded foldable desks.
The desks’ branding has sparked widespread outrage and debate, with critics accusing the department and McDonald's of using schoolchildren as walking billboards.
Some political parties have also argued that the desks are too heavy for small children to manage to and from school every day, and that they further stigmatise poor learners.
However, Gwarube said the department’s partnership with corporations should not be avoided.
“The 13.5 million learners and the 24,000 schools and the kind of budget that we have in the system, cannot simply meet the demands,” she said.
“Therefore, we have to partner with private partners.”
The Department of Basic Education has long faced the issue of infrastructure shortages, especially the lack of desks in rural schools.
The minister, however, told the members of the National Assembly that there’s a need for policy to regulate how certain donated materials might negatively affect learners.
“Where I agree with the honourable member and the criticism of how some corporate partners advertise with products at schools, is that we must have a policy that says how do we manage the kind of branding and advertisements that happen in schools in a way that doesn’t harm the learners, but assist us with the gap,” she said.
Gwarube added that the partnerships with private companies would continue, as the government cannot meet the demand for school desks alone.
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On Sunday, IOL News reported that Congress of the People (COPE) has joined the voices of concerned citizens and civil organisations in condemning an “alarming trend” of corporate branding infiltrating schools.
This followed the government’s decision to roll out desks that convert into a school bag in the Eastern Cape, benefiting five rural schools.
COPE argued that the move represented a dangerous compromise of children's rights and a betrayal of the state's constitutional duty to protect and uplift the most vulnerable.
“South Africa's children are not billboards for junk food corporations.”
“At a time when our nation grapples with an obesity epidemic and rising non-communicable diseases, disproportionately affecting working-class and rural black communities, this partnership exposes children to predatory marketing of high-fat, sugar, and salt foods,” the party said.
IOL Politics