Will soon resume midday meals in Karnataka schools, says education minister

In a big relief to lakhs of students in classes 6 to 10 in government and state-aided private schools, the education department has decided to resume the midday meal scheme soon.
“Schools will be allowed to function with 100% capacity from October 1. We are also planning to resume serving the midday meal, and a decision will be taken soon,” said BC Nagesh, primary and secondary education minister.
Because of the pandemic and fearing the spread of the virus, the department of public instruction (DPI) had suspended the scheme.However, the demand to resume serving the meal has grown louder with all stakeholders including students, parents, midday meal workers, teachers, and experts joining in. Currently, students are given dry rations instead of a cooked meal.
“I am in the process of visiting schools and interacting with students,” the minister said. “Students have told me they carry a meal from home, but we will start serving them food soon.”
Antony Sebastian, chairman, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, had written to the commissioner, DPI, asking him to resume the scheme. In his letter dated September 24, Sebastian had pointed out that parents of students are facing financial difficulties due to the pandemic and many have lost jobs.
“They are struggling to provide food and other infrastructure (sic) for their children due to financial problems,” his letter states. “I request you to look into the issue and take necessary action to ensure hot, cooked midday meals for students in schools along with following the SoPs stipulated by the experts (sic).”
Headmasters of several government schools say resumption of the scheme is very necessary to ensure students stay healthy. “It is not difficult to ensure social distancing while serving the meal,” one headmaster said. “Many students attend classes without breakfast. The midday meal has become an integral part of our education system today.”
They said with plenty of Covid-19 vaccine doses available, it will not be difficult to vaccinate all midday meal workers. “The government must ensure more nutritious food,” they said.
Dr B Shrinivasa Kakkillaya, an activist and doctor from Mangaluru, said the government must resume the scheme and add more nutritious items like egg, milk, etc., to the menu.
“Even Australia and New Zealand, which follow Covid-19 protocols strictly, didn’t shut schools in the past one-and-half years. All schools starting from anganwadis to post-graduate college must reopen. A hot midday meal must be supplied in schools. The government must introduce eggs and milk as they help boost immunity against Covid-19,” he stated.