| Summary: | A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 === One of the major obstacles to children’s growth and development, including performance in the classroom, is malnutrition. The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is an effective yet essential means of addressing the learners’ hunger needs on a daily basis, thereby serving as a tool in boosting learner attendance, academic performance, health and nutrition, and the overall prospects for the children’s future. The present study seeks to examine the challenges experienced by learners benefitting from the National School Nutritional Programme in urban primary schools in Empangeni. An in-depth literature study was followed by an empirical investigation based on a qualitative research design employing questionnaires, focus groups and drawings. The sample consisted of learners, educators and the facilitators of the NSNP. The research findings revealed that learners experienced the following challenges: stigma, problems with transport, scheduling of meals, peer pressure and bullying, inadequate resources, the schools’ menu compliance and flexibility, behavioural issues and primary care. The study also proposed a host of possible suggestions and recommendations to improve the nutritional programmes in school for the overall benefit of all learners. Further avenues for research were discussed so that researchers could expand the programme into the future.
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