Govt launches initiative to provide free lunch meals in Islamabad schools

At least 25,000 students in 100 government schools of Islamabad to benefit from initiative

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Wednesday launched an initiative to provide free lunch meals to students of government educational institutions in Islamabad, with the aim of feeding at least 25,000 students in 100 schools daily.

At the inauguration ceremony of the initiative, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said the free meals for students would be provided by the Allahwala Trust and expressed his gratitude to the organisation. 

“Such institutions are a beacon for us”, he said.

He further stated that he had met with the director of the United Nationals International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and looked forward to launching the model across the country but faced budget restraints.

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The education minister further said poverty was one of the reasons why many students were unable to attend school, and that only one child at the school he was visiting had eaten breakfast.

“This is the first step wherein food will be provided to primary school children, and soon it will be introduced in all primary schools across Islamabad”, he maintained.