How Mid-day Meal Programme is Boon to India?
Food is a basic and vital requirement for the survival of
any living being. In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, food is one of the
factors categorised under physiological needs, the deprivation of which does
not allow the human body to function properly. This theory can be experienced
in our daily lives too. For instance, if someday you miss out on your breakfast
or an urgent meeting delays your lunch, consciously or unconsciously your
entire focus remains on your empty stomach.
Well, this is something that millions of children across
India face every day. The not-so-privileged socio-economic status of millions
deprives them of something as basic as food. And, more often than not, the need
for food pushes children to labour depriving them of education; creating a
situation that denies children of their right to food and right to education.
Call it a ray of hope or a potential intervention, the
Government of India introduced a provision wherein children attending
government and government-aided schools will be provided with fresh and healthy
school lunch – the Mid-Day Meal Scheme – the world’s largest school lunch programme.
The advantages of Mid-Day Meal Scheme are:
• It
addresses classroom hunger and malnutrition;
• It
increases school enrolment and school attendance;
• It
reduces drop-out rate;
• It
enhances concentration levels among children; and
• It
improves socialisation among children of different castes
NGO intervention to
amplify mid-day meal benefits
Undoubtedly, food is an important aspect for proper growth
and development among children. More so, nutritious diet is an essential
prerequisite during the growth years of children.
The children in government schools mainly hail from low
socio-economic backgrounds where even if they get a square meal it would mostly
lack the necessary nutrients. For such children, mid-day meal acts as a medium
to receive healthy food on a daily basis. In order to benefit children from
grass root level, many NGOs have partnered with the government to implement the
Mid-Day Meal Scheme; The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of them. Akshaya Patra
is an NGO for children serving
freshly cooked, nutritious, and tasty school lunch to children since 2000.
Presently, the Foundation nourishes more than 1.7 million children studying in
14,173 schools in 36 locations of 12 states.
Mid-Day Meal Scheme –
a Boon to India
Mid-day meals act as an incentive for parents to send their
children to school with the hope that their children will get at least one
proper meal a day. This has resulted in increased enrolment and also retention.
Aside from being instrumental in bringing children to school, several studies
suggest that the implementation of mid-day meals have potentially supported the
education of students. Once children are at school, they attend classes and
participate in school activities thereby positively impacting the literacy
rate.
Reportedly, by 2020, India will embrace the title of being
the world’s youngest nation. This means it will have a demographic dividend
wherein nearly 64% of its total population will fall under the working age
bracket. But, to truly enjoy this status, the country needs to equip its young
generation with health and education. And, this is where the mid-day meal
programme is a significant catalyst in ensuring generations of healthy,
educated, and skilled citizens.
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