Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698833291585.pdf (Trinidad and Tobago)
Ministry of Education Response to the Auditor General’s Report on the Special Audit of the School Nutrition Programme managed by the National Schools Dietary Services Limited (NSDSL) 2017 PERVASIVE ISSUES RAISED BY THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSE 1.

Nutrition Education The NSDSL conducted a limited number of sessions on nutrition education for students.

There were only two persons at the NSDSL tasked with the responsibility for nutrition education and outreach.
As such, there was a natural limit on the number of sessions and visits that could’ve been conducted.

The Ministry of Education has the curriculum for primary and secondary schools a Health and Family Life Education Programme.

At the secondary school included understanding nutrition, choice of foods and the consequences of eating unhealthy foods.
the programme incorporated level in a) NSDSL should consider utilizing the On- The-Job Training Programme to supplement the number of persons tasked with the responsibility of sharing information on healthy nutrition in schools.

The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development was approached and two (2) persons were assigned to the department, with effect from January 2017.

The two (2) trainees, with backgrounds in Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, are at present undergoing orientation.
It is to be noted that the department is now staffed by one (1) officer, since one (1) employee resigned with effect from January 2017 (see table below).

b) The Ministry of Education should ensure that the NSDSL recruit additional persons to expand the nutrition education programme for students, Currently, there are 5 posts in the Nutrition Services Department of which 1 is filled (see table below).
Post Number of Posts on the Establishment Number of Posts Filled Zonal Manager, Nutrition Nutrition Officer 1 4 1 0 Action to increase staff: The new organizational structure was approved by the previous Board of Directors and sent to the Chief Personnel Officer for final approval in March 2015.

The NSDL is still awaiting a response.

Funding required to hire additional staff: $10,000 plus $2,000 travelling allowance per person per month.
The current budgetary allocation is $150M while the last budgetary allocation was $235.5M.

The recruitment of additional staff for the Nutrition Services Department will therefore require additional funds being allocated in the annual budget to pay such employees’ salaries.
1 Ministry of Education Response to the Auditor General’s Report on the Special Audit of the School Nutrition Programme managed by the National Schools Dietary Services Limited (NSDSL) 2017 PERVASIVE ISSUES RAISED BY THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS RESPONSE spent 2.

Key Performance Indicators The NSDSL identified consumption as its key performance indicator in the field.

The other indicator was value for money, in particular whether public funds were responsibly.
being PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) was engaged to develop a financial model to ensure the NSDSL was obtaining market value for meals purchased.

Further, PWC was also tasked to determine whether the there was value programme.

for money in c) An eight (8) member Liaison Committee (2) should be established with representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, NSDSL and the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries to develop content and delivery of information.
two a) The NSDSL Performance Nutrition Programme.

should Indicators identify Key the School for b) The Ministry of Education should monitor the development of Key Performance Indicators and once approved the Ministry the should also monitor and evaluate performance of the School Nutrition Programme against the Key Performance Indicators.

The NSDSL has approached the Curriculum Planning and Development Division of the Ministry of Education to begin discussions on this initiative.
The matter was brought to the attention of the new Board of Directors for the company at its first meeting held on 1st February 2017.

Correspondence will be sent to the MOE in due course to begin engaging the Ministry on the matter.

The NSDSL is in the process of developing additional Key Performance Indicators for the School Nutrition Programme through a consultancy.
Three companies (PwC, Ernest and Young and Glenn Wilson) have been identified and will be invited to respond to the request for proposals to develop Key Performance Indicators.

The time-frame to be given for the completion of the task is (6) months from the start of the contract.

The Chief Education Officer and Director of School Supervision and Management currently evaluate the Programme.
The Ministry of Education will work together with NSDSL to ensure that the additional Key Performance Indicators are also evaluated at the Ministry’s level.

2