Education and nutrition
A healthy mind, they say, in a healthy body. There is a close relationship between education and nutrition. Now the federal government has launched a scheme to provide mid-day meals in state primary schools in Islamabad. Initially, the programme will cover 100 schools, and later it will be introduced in all schools. NGOs are assisting the government in the school lunch programme.
Considering that an estimated 20 million children in the 5-15 age group are out of school in the country, the school lunch scheme will markedly reduce the number of school drop-outs, and enable more and more young ones to pursue education. Many children from poor families suffer from issues of stunting and nutrition. Undernourishment also affects their mental growth. There are numerous benefits of providing free meals at school. Those who for some reason do not eat breakfast at home will get a wholesome meal at school. The government should ensure that foodstuffs used for children’s lunch are of good quality, meals are cooked and served in a hygienic atmosphere, and washing hands before eating should be made mandatory as it will inculcate habits of cleanliness in young ones. Further, since children from different social backgrounds will be eating together, it will promote brotherhood and national cohesion.
There is the need to expand the midday meal programme all over the country, especially in areas where undernourishment and poverty levels are high. As the school drop-out rate is high in most regions, midday meals will bring students back to schools. Free midday meals are already being provided at schools in some areas of Punjab province. The authorities should keep a vigilant eye on how the funds allocated for school lunch are being utilised and the quality of food items procured from the market. The system of periodic appraisal should be instituted to see the progress or otherwise of the welfare programme. The midday meal scheme is being run successfully in several countries of the world, whose workings can guide other countries, including Pakistan, now adopting the scheme.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2022.
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