Covid wave: 13% children in Punjab schools missed mid-day meals last year
Of the 18.51 lakh children enrolled in elementary classes , 16.17 lakh children were served meals on an average in the government schools across Punjab
Chandigarh: Around 13% children of government schools in Punjab missed on nutritious mid-day meals during the previous academic year that saw the second and third Covid waves.
Of the 18.51 lakh children enrolled in elementary classes, 16.17 lakh children were served meals on an average in the government schools across the state, according to the minutes of a meeting held by the Union ministry of education to sanction the budget for Punjab under the centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM-POSHAN) Scheme.
The state schools have an enrolment of 11.22 lakh in primary classes (1 to 5), and 9.92 lakh, or say 88%, of these school children were provided school meals on an average daily. At upper primary level (classes 6 to 8), the coverage of 7.29 lakh children was lower at 86%. The Programme Approval Board (PAB), which reviewed the progress while approving the state’s annual work plan and budget under the scheme for financial year 2022-23, has expressed concern over non-coverage of remaining 13% schoolchildren.
The minutes of the board meeting chaired by Union school education secretary Anita Karwal were released last month. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the school education department of Punjab.
The central ministry had made a budget provision for 15.78 lakh children – 9.50 lakh at primary and 6.28 lakh at upper primary level. However, the enrolment in government schools spiked up as a large number of students switched from private ones due to financial distress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A school education department official, however, said that the gap of 13% in mid-day meal coverage was primarily on account of absenteeism. “There is no provision to provide meals to children who do not turn up at school. It is also not feasible,” he said, requesting anonymity. A government school principal also said there are instances where some children who shifted from private schools during the first and second Covid waves later stopped coming but their names were not deleted.
In 2022-23, the PAB has budgeted for cooked meals to 16.5 lakh students on 254 days, besides 4,754 children of National Child Labour Project schools on 302 days. Another concern raised by the ministry is regarding the non-conduct of social audit – a collective monitoring of the scheme with people’s active involvement as mandated by Section 28 of the National Food Security Act, required to ensure transparency and quality. The state government has been advised to conduct social audit in all district during the current year.
Nutrition gardens, kitchens get praise
The school education department earned appreciation from the central ministry for developing ‘nutrition (kitchen) gardens’ in 18,308 of the total 19,729 schools to grow vegetables for school meals. The ministry, while advising the state to develop kitchen gardens in remaining schools in convergence with local Krishi Vigyan Kendras and horticulture department, allowed it to use funds available under MNREGS for this purpose. The provision of hot cooked meals through school-based kitchens and construction of kitchen-cum-stores in schools in all schools were also lauded.
