UP school kitchen gardens to grow greens for own mid-day meals

The schools will soon be self-dependent in meeting the demand of vegetables needed for cooking mid-day meals at schools which will provide extra nutrition to the children. After the orders of the state government, government-run schools in the city have started making spaces for kitchen gardens within the school premises.

Taking forward the state government’s initiative to start kitchen gardens in government-run primary and upper primary schools and use the produce in the mid-day meal of the respective institutions, select schools in Prayagraj are going to grow these vegetables organically, for the better health of the children.

Teacher and children in a kitchen garden in government primary school, Rasulabad, in Prayagraj(HT)

The schools will soon be self-dependent in meeting the demand of vegetables needed for cooking mid-day meals at schools which will provide extra nutrition to the children. After the orders of the state government, government-run schools in the city have started making spaces for kitchen gardens within the school premises.

Block education officer (city) Jyoti Shukla has issued instructions to at least a dozen schools to start gardening work soon. The principals at primary and upper primary schools at Bairana, Naya Katra, Adarsh Elanganj, Muthiganj, Hewitt Road, Old Katra, Begum Sarai, Triveni Road have been asked to select the space inside the school premises for a ‘poshan vatika’ or the nutrition garden. Two schools in the city area, primary school at Rasulabad and upper primary at Harwara, have already started work for the construction of kitchen garden, said the block education officer.

Besides providing fresh vegetables to children, the objective of the kitchen garden is to motivate students towards gardening and increasing their knowledge about different vegetables and their importance in improving their health.

The children will actively participate in kitchen gardening and will hold discussions at the school assembly about the vegetables and fruits grown in the kitchen garden.

“We are determined to take forward the government’s order to promote kitchen gardening in all primary and upper primary schools. As part of this initiative, we have also asked these schools to explore and embrace organic farming wherever possible, ” Shukla said.