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CHAPTER-I
INTRODUCTION
Children are the first call on agenda of development not only because young
children are the most vulnerable, but they are our supreme assets and also the future
human resources of the country. In these words, our Tenth Five Year plan (2002-07)
under lines the fact that the future of India lies in the future of Indian children. It is
now globally acknowledged that investment in human resource development is a pre-
requisite for economic development of any nation.
India has had a long experience since independence in attending to the well
being and development of children. The constitution of India itself recognizes the
rights of the children and safeguard their rights to survival, protection and
development. Article 14 of the constitution bestows rights to equality, Article 15(3)
empowers state to make special provision infavour of children. Article 24 prohibits
employment of children below 14 years in any factory or mine or hazardous
occupations, Article 39 prohibits abuse and exploitation, Article 45 provides free and
compulsory education up to 14 years and Article 47 stipulates that state shall
endeavor to raise the level of nutrition slid standard of living and improvement in
public health.
Early childhood constitutes the most crucial period in life, when the
foundations are laid for cognitive, social, emotional, physical (motor) development
and cumulative life for long learning. Survival, development and growth of a child
has to be looked at in a holistic manner and there have to be balanced linkages
between education, health and nutrition for proper development of a child.
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But unfortunately one of the burning problems of the small children is the scarcity of
a balanced diet. Protein Energy Malnutrition(PEM) or under nutrition among
preschool children assessed through weight deficit for age is the most sensitive
indicator of nutritional status of the community. The situation of malnutrition of
present is that a large number of children do not succumb to severe malnutrition but
they are vulnerable to subsequent infectious disease as they suffer from mild and
moderate malnutrition. They are also unable to achieve optimal physical and
cognitive growth and cannot derive complete benefit form subsequent schooling. The
wide prevalence of mild and moderate under nutrition among children makes
malnutrition an 'invisible' public health issue. In recent times interest in the problem
of food supply and nutrition has grown in almost all of the countries of the world and
India is no exception. Indian economists Agarwal and Alak Ghost Point out that the
food problem in India has three major aspects.
1. Quantitative aspect ie inadequacy of the supply of food grains.2.. Qualitative aspect ie lack of nutrition elements in food3. The aspect relating to high prices of food grains.
Importance of Education
The development of a nation is closely related to the development of its
human resources. Education is given a central place in human development.
Countries such as India approached education not only as an input in the formation of
human capital, but also on a basic tool of all round progress. In a fast changing world,
the educational system of a country is the main edifice on which the future of the
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nation rests. Education should empower the vast majority of the population in their
struggle against deprivation. It is now generally perceived that the basic problem of
access to schooling has largely overcome in Kerala.
The 53rd Round of the NSSO revealed that 38 percent of India's adult
population was illiterate in 1997, while the 1991 censes had found that 48 percent
were illiterate. The censes of India 2001 has revealed that the situation has further
improved and the illiteracy rate is 35 percent. India spends 34 percent of its GNP on
education. The government of India has taken several initiatives to eradicate
illiteracy, improve the quality of education, and get out of school children back into
the mainstream.
Kerala is a state in India with the highest percentage of literacy. The
government of Kerala has been spending 40% of the revenue receipts on education in
the state. Even though Kerala is a food deficite state, the government gives more
importance to education with a view to make the people cultured and matured enough
to lead a decent life.
The school and pre-school enrolment in classes I - V and pre-primary section
in the various states has been increasing over the years. Girls enrolment was only 44
percent at the primary stage and 40.5 percent at upper primary stage. Therefore public
investment in primary education cannot be reduced but should be rationalized in such
a manner as to promote the socially and economically weaker sections of the society.
Enrolment of students
The enrolment of students has been showing a declining trend for the last
several years. This trend may be due to the peculiar demographic syndrome being
experienced in the state for the past several years. The proportion of child population
is declining and this fact gets reflected in the actual enrolment rate. There is an
overall fall in the enrolment of students from 48.42 lakh in 2005 to 47.76 lakh in
2006 ie by 0.66 lakh students (1.36%) in the school education sector. The enrolment
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of students at lower primary level decreased slightly form 18.47 lakh in 2005 to 18.25
lakh in 2006, at upper primary level it decreased to 14.57 lakh from 14.70 lakh, and
at high school level it decreased to 14.94 lakh from 15.25 lakh.
Table 1.1
Enrolment details during 2005-06 is
Boys Girls Total
1 Lower primary 9.21 9.04 18.25
2 U.P 7.50 7.07 14:57
3 High School 7.62 7.32 14.94
Total 24.33 23.43 47.76
Source : Directorate of public instructions
Expenditure on Education
Kerala spent Rs. 3207.56 crore for education ( Excluding Art and Culture and
Sports and Youth Services) during 2004-05 against Rs. 3034.29 crore in 2003-04.
During 2005-06 it is estimate to have spent Rs. 3803.01 crore. This shows that state's
expenditure on education increased by 5.71 % in 2004-05 over 2003-04 and the
estimated expenditure in 2005-2006 over 2004-05 shows 18.56% increase.
Expenditure on education is incurred under both revenue and capital account.
In 2004-05 primary education accounted for 41.50 percent of the total expenditure on
education, secondary education including vocational education accounted for 35.78
percent, university and higher education 16.07 percent and technical education 4.99
percent. Further out of the total expenditure, 95.01 percent is earmarked for general
education and the remaining 4.99 for technical education of the 2004-05, expenditure
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of Rs.3207.56 crore, Rs. 3093.11 crore (96.43%) was non-plan and Rs. 114.45 crore
(3.57%) was plan.
Health
Health is a condition where all parts of the body work in proper co-ordination. It is a
state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.
A balanced diet is essential for maintaining good health.
In India, overpopulation, poverty and unemployment are serious problem.
Consequently, the poorer section of society are not able to provide sufficient food for
their families. This results in under nutrition. Under nutrition is defined as the
consumption of a lesser quantity of food than that required by the body. When the
diet is devoid of certain essential nutrients, it results in malnutrition. Malnutrition can
be identified by using body weight, body fat, protein stores and laboratory values
poor nutrition leads to poor health. The three leading causes of malnutrition are :
Poverty and lack of food
Ignorance and indifference
Disease or substance abuse, such as alcoholism.
Health, Nutrition and Education
The relation between health and education is often perceived as a one-way
street, with most discussion focusing on the role education can play in facilitating
health awareness and improving the health status of individuals and communities.
Usually left out of the debate is the critical and reciprocal nature of the link between
health and education, specifically in relation to children, whereby poor health and
nutrition can actually prove to be a barrier to attendance and educational
achievement. The most obvious medical evidence indicates that childhood disability,
chronic illness and extreme malnutrition of children are a direct impediment to
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.his/her participation in school. Further, the level of frequency, duration and severity
of illness that affects a child also influences the regularity and attendance of an
enrolled child. Further inadequate nutrition manifested in short-term hunger
syndrome, impacts on a child's ability to learn and retain new concepts. Several
studies especially those on Tamil Nadu. Mid day meal programme, have stressed the
benefits of a hot and cooked meal in school, particularly for children in poverty
situations. Dry rations seems to have little impact. No wonder the supreme court's
judgment on serving cooked meals in school instead of distributing dry rations was
welcomed by parents and children. (EFW November - 2003)
Background for Implementing the Programme
In India majority of the population (ie backward classes) is living in poverty.
Therefore going to school is not attractive for them. They strive for earning a
livelihood. To bring them to the mainstream of education,the government has
undertaken several steps. One such measure was giving free meals at schools. The
programme is known as the mid day meal scheme. The programme has multiple of
objectives. The programme attracts a large number of people into the field of
education . In many backward and tribal areas , the noon meal programme has
proved to be a real inducement for the children to come to school every working day.
The system is still on and is functioning with great success.
Objectives of study
1. To study the socio economic conditions of the beneficiares of thescheme. (Children)
2. To study the impact of the programme on the drop out rates andattendance ratio
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3. To study the fund provided by the government in various fiveyear plan for implementing this programme.
Methodology and Database
Primary data for the study was collected with the help of a questionnaire.
Discussions and interviews are conducted with the officers of A,E G office, DD Office,
Headmasters, parents, teachers and children. All of them were very co-operative in
providing sufficient information.
Primary data was collected from 5 schools, 30 students from each school,
making a total number of 120 students. The schools selected for the study are from
Elampalloor panchayath. Schools selected from the rural areas are Govt L.P.S
Perumpuzha , M.G.U.P.S Perumbuzha, K.G.V.U.P.S Perumpuzha , S.A.B.T.M.U.P.S
Perumpuzha and S.K.V.L.P.S Kundara.
The sources of secondary data are the Periodicals, like Economic and Political
Weekly, Economic Survey, Economic Review, Yojana, Kurukshetra etc.
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The present chapter is devoted to review the earlier studies on the Mid Day Meal
programme in India inorder to identify the gaps in research, which would help in
formulating the methodology of the present study and further directions of research. A
critical review of various studies undertaken by several researchers from time to time in
India is presented here.
Farzana Afridi study on the Midday Meals in Two Sates comparing the financial and
institutional organization of the programme. The study is based on primary and
secondary data. He has conducted study on two states Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
In his study he has done the comparison of the new 'Suruchi bhojan' with the old 'daliya'
programme in the government primary schools. In this study he suggests the need to
overhaul the administrative and financial organization of the scheme inorder to increase
its effectiveness. The study high lights the fact that as a result of the implementation of
the Mid day Meal programme there is successful increase in enrolment and attendance
rates. Finally he suggests urgent improvement in the nutritive content of meals and
related infrastructure requires earmarked funds and a transparent and and representative
agency for effectively implementing and monitoring the scheme, at the grad root level.
(EPW April 9,2005).
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Jean Dreze and Aparagita Goyal 'Future, of Mid-Day mealsstudied the impact
of Mid day meal scheme on child nutrition, school attendance and Social Equity (EPW
November 1, 2003). These achievement depend a great deal on the quality aspects of
mid-day meals. This article present the summary of the recent survey initiated by the
centre for Equity Studies (CES), New Delhi. The CES survey took place between
January and April 2003 and covered three states Chattisgrah, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
The survey findings is that the implementation of the programme has positive impact
on child nutrition, school attendance and Social equity.
Shailendra Singh and Kala Seethram Sridhar in their article government and
Private Schools Trends in Enrolment and Retention (EPW October 12, 2002) examine
the disparities across government and Private Schools in two cities of Uttar Pradesh-
Firozabad and Deoria. They made an attempt to estimate the out of school children in
these districts. The study found that the enrolment rate was higher in government (class
I) than in Private Schools. However performance(measured by the pass rate) was found
to be better private schools.The study attributed this to the regular homework given to
students in private schools, which it found to be absent in government schools. They
found that teacher quality and motivation have a significant impact on the learning
achievements of students and hence on enrolment and retention.
Brinda Viswanathan in her study 'Access to Nutrition's Meal Programmes'
Evidence from 1999-2000 NSS data-indicates that a large majority of children in India
from poorer households did not have access to the meal schemes operational in the
country. The present study used the most recent large sample household expenditure
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survey data of NSS to look at the access to meal programmes across states of India in
both rural and Urban sectors. Use of NSS data for analyzing access to school meal
programme has been attempted for the first time though this study. The analysis is
carried out across age groups of children, their economic status and across different
social and occupational groups. Wherever possible, broad comparisons are drawn on
the health status and educational attainment of children in regions where such schemes
are better functioning to those where it is not. The present study clearly highlights
better health and education achievement among children in states where such scheme
are in existence and it is imperative that the policymakers note of these and ensure the
success of the scheme once in place.
S. Chandrasekhar and Abhiroop Mukho Padhyay primary education as a
fundamental Right-Cost Implications'. To attain the goal of universal primary education
many developing country governments, including India, have abolished official fees in
primary education. The 86th
amendment to the Indian constitution made free and
compulsory education a fundamental rights for all children in the age group 6 -14 years.
There are other direct and indirect costs that can deter children from going to school. In
this paper, using a rich nation
wide dataset, the authors construct the incompressible direct cost of attending primary
schools in India, After controlling for the opportunity cost of going to school/ they found
that the direct cost of education adversely affect the probability of children going to
school, more so for children from poorer households. The results show that relative to
boys, girls are more likely to be affected by the direct costs of schooling. The authors find
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that making primary education completely free will not increase the attendance rate to 100
percent.
Dr. B.R. Kukreti and Manoj Kumar Saxena a case study of Dropout problem
among tribal students at schools level made an effort to find out the Causes of dropout
among tribal students. They gave some suggestions, which will be helpful in reducing
dropout rate among tribal students. The study was conducted in Bans Wara district in
Rajastan state. The authors selected Banswara district because in Rajastan state the
highest concentration of tribal population in noticed in Banswara district, that is 15.51
percent of total tribal population residing in Rajasthan. They use primary and secondary
data. Among the factors contributed to the problem of dropout the most important one
was noon-feeding programme.
Khandekar (1974) conducted a study on dropouts. Objectives of the study were.
1. To find out the Socio-Economic and environmental characteristics ofdropouts.
2. To ascertain the factors contributing to the dropping out from schools.3. To determine the educational background of the dropouts and their siblings4. To determine their motivation fo further education and vocational studies5. To ascertain their reaction to programme of rehabilitation and to invite theirown suggestion
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The study concluded that counseling, teaching and curriculum factors make their greatest
contribution in these institutions, that are more prone to having a higher drop out rate
because of ethnic and Socio economic characteristics of the pupils and size of the school.
Note
1. Daniel Schrier, '"The school dropout, a Profile", The Educational digest,XXX: 2(1964), 10-13
2. Harry H. Scales "Another look at the dropout problem". The journal ofEducational Reaserch 62:8(1969) 339-343.
3. Kenneth B. Hoyt, 'Guidance and Drop-outs, the Educational Digest'. 30:7(1965), 12-15
4. Khandekar M., "A study of Drop outs", in second survey of Research in
Education Society for Educational Research and Development, Baroda,
1979, p.478.
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CHAPTER-III
HISTORY OF THE MID DAY MEAL PROGRAMME
Mid Day Meal Programme
Free mid day meals for school students were first introduced is a Japanese
private school in the late 1880s, United State in 1946 and in Brazil in 1993.
School feeding programme originated in the southern districts of Travancore
and Cochin in the 1940's. The government of Cochin on the advice of W.R.
Aykroyal (Nutrition advisor to the Government of India) launched a scheme
in 1943 to provide free mid day meals to all chi ldren attending primary
schools in the state. A central committee was constituted and a secretary was
appointed to administer the fund. The expansion of the programme to cover all
students was proposed in 1957-59 during the first communist ministry. The
expansion was realized in 1961 when it was taken up by the cooperative for
American Relief Everywhere (CARE). In 1961 the scheme was reoriented and
extended to Malabar also, it was a joint venture of both U.S. A and Kerala
government (Educational Development in India). Initially, CARE undertook
to provide almost the entire commodity support for the scheme. Under the
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scheme, children attending lower primary and nursery classes were entitled to
a cooked noon meal at school. The commodities utilized in the CARE Kerala
Noon meal scheme started there journey many thousands of miles from the
united states of America to Kerala. To begin with, the milk powder, cornmeal
and vegetable oil or butter oil were processed and packed in the united states
and from the ports in the American Great lakes region, the Eastern Atlantic
and the Western Pacific Coasts, Ships loaded with health giving food travelled
the sealanes of the oceans to reach the ports of destination, one of which was
Cochin. All the cost up to the point, the original cost of food, processing and
shipping were borne by the. American people and CARE. At Cochin the
financial and administrative obligations of the Kerala government was
assumed-cost that covered the storage, transportation etc. In short a great deal
of time, dedicated effort and expenditure had gone into the Noon meal
scheme by the time the commodities reached Kerala. The noon meal scheme
was a co-operative venture between CARE and the ministry of Education of
Kerala. The department Education and its sub offices at the district level were
responsible for the storage, distribution and accounting of CARE donated supplies.
Thfe programme is, however need-oriented in the sense that only children whose
parents; expressed their wish to take part, were served with the meals.
The operation of the programme that involved the feeding to lakhs of
children was most complex and costly. Beyond the expenditure of government funds,
such avast programme required the co-operation and co-ordination of all involved to
ensure that the feeding programme was beneficial to children, the future citizens of
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India, at the highest level of efficiency ultimate credit was given to individual
headmasters and teachers of lower primary schools who diligently followed the
programme of daily feeding their student. The entire programme ultimately depended
upon the educators who had taken an additional task and interest for which there was
no reward except observing the nutritional benefits given to the young students.
The quantum of issue per child of CARE food materials is milk powder
- one ounce corn meal - two ounce veg/butter oil 1/4 ounce. The stock register of these
items are maintained by the schools. During 1964 /65 - 1970/71, the scheme covered
72-73% of the lower primary school children (UN, 1975: 42). Every child who came
under the scheme was fed at school, on an average, 110 days a year.
The field officers of CARE, Department field supervisors and Assistant
Educational officers often inspected the storage conditions of CARE food to ensure
that the Head of the school bestowed proper attention on the vital point. The
programme, it was found, not administered on proper lines. Moreover the benefits of
the programme did not reach the children. Preparation of the food was very poor-
inadequate boiling or partial cooking. The cook was blamed for the irregularity. This
did not satisfy the Department. Reports of CARE food being taken home reached the
department. The food served was to be consumed on the school premises and the
names of students who failed to do so were deleted from the sanctioned list. It was
also emphasized that CARE food should not be given to students in raw form. Pupils
who took food were expected to be better listeners during the afternoon hours, and
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their physical, mental and emotional outlook was expected to be more whole some
than if they were left without CARE feeding.
During 1980-81 CARE had supplied food materials required for 18 lakh pupils
of lower primary schools ie 80 gm grain and 5gm oil per
pupil per day. 19.88 lakh pupils got the benefit of the programme. From 81-82 onwards
they had reduced the supply of food gradually.
Introduction of mid day meal by the Government.
With the fall in the assistance from CARE since the early 1970s, a feeding
programme with Kanji (rice gruel) and pulses was introduced, from December 1984. It
was first introduced in lower primary schools in areas in which children of fisher folk or
of scheduled tribes formed the majority of the students/ The new mid day meal scheme
started by the government had to fulfill the following nutritional as well as educational
objectives.
Nutritional Objectives
To provide food supplements to children (6 to 11) years at school which
should supply at least one third of a day's calorie requirement and half of protein
requirements so as to improve the nutritional status of children.
Educational objectives
To improve school enrolment attendance of children and reduction of drop
out rates.
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The new programme was introduced to compensate for the gradual
withdrawal of CARE feeding. Thus in addition to 7,69,000 pupils who benefited from
CARE 1,135,461 pupils benefited by noon meal programme.
Owing to public pressure, the scheme was extended to all government and aided
lower primary schools in the state from December 1985. Later in 1987, government
extended the scheme to upper primary (UP) schools including Up section in high schools
by reorganizing it as a people's programme.
Unaided schools were kept out of the scheme. From December 1986 onwards
CARE had discontinued their supply and hence noon meal programme was introduced
in the six districts (Trivandrum, Quilon, Alleppy, Pathanamthitta, Cannore and
Kasargod) also where CARE feed was withdrawn from February 87 onwards.
The scheme was revised by constituting a mid day meal committee in each school
consisting of the Headmaster President of the PTA or his nominee, a representative
of the teachers in the school and a nominee of the local body
(Panchayat/Municipality). The selection of pupils to be brought under the scheme
was finalized by the Deputy Director of Education. In order to avoid wastage,
generally 50% of pupils in schools were selected for serving meals.
Feeding materials were to be supplied by the government though the civil
supplies corporation. All other costs were to be met by the meal committee through
collections made from the public. The meal committee was also responsible for
identifying the poor and needy students eligible for the noon meals which on an
average come to about half the number of students in a school.
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The Headmasters were asked to get the application form from the parents of
the pupils who were in need of noon meal from school. The committee selects the
eligible pupils and the list is send to the Assistant Educational officer. After
verification the list is forwarded to the Deputy Director of education. The number of
beneficiaries of the programme at the sub-district level as well as revenue district
level is finalized by the Deputy Director of Education strictly in accordance with the
guidelines approved by Government
The quantum of food materials provided per pupil per day (pre- primary) is 30 gm rice
and 15gm green gram and 60gm rice and 30gm for primary section. The minimum
condiments required for preparing side-dish is gathered from the local market. It is the
duty of the headmaster or the noon meal committee to make arrangements to prepare the
meals properly and serve it to the pupils with the assistance of the teachers. The
headmaster or a member of the noon- meal committee is asked by the department to test
the cooked food at first and be satisfied about its quality before it is served to the pupils.
Noon meals are not given to the pupils during the days of examination, Onam holidays,
Christmas holidays and other public holidays.
Noon Meal Programmes
Government of India and its Convergence with the State Scheme
Noon meal programme in Kerala State had commenced during December
1984. The Scheme consist of supplying cooked food to children using rice, pulses,
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coconut oil/palmolien oil. The state has an elaborate system working for this purpose.
Government of India scheme on noon meal will be merged with the existing scheme.
A gist of the implementation of the scheme is given below. The Assistant
Educational Officers approve the indent of food materials according to the number of
beneficiaries of each school. The Headmaster procures food materials (rice, pulses and
palmolien oil) from title outlets of Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation viz., Maveli
stores. The state education Department pays the cost of food materials to the Civil
Supplies Corporation. Meal are prepared under the direct supervision of Headmasters
and it is served to the pupils with the help of teachers. For cooking food kitchen sheds
are provided in all the schools Contingent charges consisting of transportation charges,
preparation charges, fuel charges and condiment charges are paid to the Headmasters.
A Chart showing the Organisation set up of the scheme is given below
Director of public Instruction
Senior Administrator Assistant
Supervisiors
Assistant Educational Officers
Headmasters
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The members of the noon meal committee in each school are associated
with the programme.
Government of India has decided to implement the National Programme of
Nutritional support to primary education from 15th
August 1995.
Mid Day Meals in Primary Schools
The government of India launched the National Programme of Nutritional support to
primary Educator or the Mid day meal scheme in August 1995. When the mid day
meal scheme was launched in 1995, state governments (who were responsible for
implementing the scheme) were given two years to put necessary systems in place so
as to be able to provide cooked meals to primary school children. However , in the first
six years after the scheme was launched (ie until 2001), most states failed to put the
required arrangements, in place and instead provided students with monthly dry ratios
(wheat or rice) based on their attendance in school. The entire state of Kerala, and
some pockets of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, began providing cooked meals in 1995.
In the five years since 2001, the situation changed quite dramatically. In an interim
order dated November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court directed all state government "to
implement the Mid Day Meal Scheme by providing every child in every school and
government assisted primary school with a prepared mid-day meal with a minimum
content of 300 calories and 8-12 grams of protein each day of school for a minimum of
200 days. Very few states, however, introduced cooked meals in primary schools
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before the Supreme Court's initial deadline of February 28, 2002. The deadline was later
extended to January 2005 by the Supreme Court.
State inaction prompted grassroots activities to start public mobilization
efforts. The first major campaign activity was an "'action day on mid day meals" on
April 9, 2002. In 100 districts across nine states, people expressed then dissatisfaction
with the state of implementation, of the SC's order. In Bangalore, children lined streets
with empty places, in other places, copies of the SC order were distributed. Following
the supreme court's orders and public mobilization, the government of India revised its
guidelines for the MDMS in 2004. According to these guidelines, the MDMS was
being fully implemented in 20 states and all seven union territories, and partially in the
remaining eight states. Since then the coverage of the MDMS has been further
extended, and today it Is close to universal.
It is worth noting that some states have gone beyond the scope of the mandated
coverage. The first major campaign For instanced, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala the
destitute and the aged are permitted to partake of the mid day meal in school. In Gujarat,
the scheme covers children from classes 1 to 7. The new guidelines in line with the
supreme court order dated April 20,2004, provided for meals to be served during the
summer vacations in drought -affected areas.
Finance for the Mid day Meal Scheme
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The MDMS is a centrally sponsored scheme. Grain (wheat or rice) for mid day
meals is supplied by the central government to the state government free of charge, at
the rate of 100 gm per day. Besides this, the central government also subsidies the
transport of grain from the nearest FCI depot to the primary school. Other costs include
the cost of ingredients (such as pulses, vegetable cooking oil), fuel costs and cook's
wages. The new guidelines are issued in 2004 these costs were to be borne by state
governments not providing cooked meals: dry ratios saved the states the additional of
cooking expenses.
Initially, the wage costs were met from the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY) in
1999, the JRY was revamped and these costs began to be borne by state governments.
Following the supreme court's orders the central government began providing additional
assistance. For instance, in December 2003 state governments were asked to earmark 15
percent of funds under the pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) for meeting
cooking costs. In the revised Guidelines of 2004, contributions under PMGY were
discontinued, but the central government began providing Rs. 1 per child per school day
towards cooking costs. These costs were previously supposed to be borne by state
government.
The responsibility of providing physical infrastructure lies with state
government. Physical infrastructure includes a kitchen-cum- store, adequate water
supply for drinking and washing, cooking devices (stove) and utensils for cooking and
serving. State governments can use funds from several centrally funded schemes for
these purposes. For instance, Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) funds can be
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utilized for the construction of kitchen sheds in rural areas. Similarly in urban areas
funds available under the National slum Department programme can be used for the
construction of kitchen sheds. For drinking water, funds from SSA or Accelerated Rural
water supply programme can be utilized. Finally, utensils can be brought from the
annual SSA school grant of Rs. 2000.
The quantum of food materials provided per pupil per day is 30gm rice and
15gm green gram for pre-primary section and 60gm rice and 30gm green gram for
primary section. From 2005 onwards the programme of providing an egg to the children
started. Dry rations has to be given to the children who are consumers of the scheme
during the festival seasons (Onam, Christmas etc). In many backward and tribal areas,
the noon meal programme has proved to be a real inducement for the children to come
to school every working day.
"A free mid-day meal is provided to all children in government, corporation,
panchayat and municipal schools in the state. The main objective of mid-day meal
scheme was to boost enrollment and reduce dropouts. These objectives been
substantially attained, with dramatic impact on the enrollment and retention of children
in particular. Additionally it has provided employment to destitute men and women
work as cooks in the various noon meal centres in the state.
Cost of the Govt, to feed a child
Under the new scheme proposed by the central Government to spread primary
education, a poor and needy student would be allotted lOOgms of rice per working
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day. The state government is now redistributing this allotment and gives a student 60
gms of rice, 30 gms of green gram, which comes to Rs.1.50. The quality of rice given
to the children is the same as that which is distributed through the rationshops.
Benefit
By providing mid day meals the government is trying to provide.a safety net to
the poorest of the poor. Eventhough immediate economic will become an asset to the
country. At present the programme will reduce the drop out and increase the
attendance rates. The program was introduced for obtaining educational benefits.
The students who take lunch from schools come from economically and
socially backward communities or families. If these children are deprived of the
meals, they would become physically and mentally weak. A good part of the future
citizens will become a burden on the Government Healthy people are a great wealth to
the nation. The programme benefits much more in terms of human resources.
If the government stops the programme inequality between the rich ad the
poor students will widen. The rate of attendance will come down and there would be
more drop outs.
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Tabic 4.1
STATUS OF MID-DAY REALS AND PROVISION FOR
CONVERSION COSTS (as on 27 August 2006)
State/UT Proportion of children
covered by cooked
mid-day meal scheme
(%)
Provision for
conversion costs
Andhra Pradesh 100 Rs. 1.5-2Chatiisgarh 100 Rs.l
Delhi 100 Rs. 1.5-2
Gujarat 100 More than Rs.2
Hariyana 100 Rs. 1.5-2
Karnataka 100 Re. 1
Kerala 100 Rs. 1.5-2
Madhya Pradesh 100 Rs. 1.5-2
Maharashtra 100 Less than Re.l
Meghalaya 100 Not known
Mizoram 100 Not known
Nagaland 100 Not knownRajastan 100 Less than Re. 1
Sikkim 100 More than Rs. 2
Tamil Nadu 100 More than Rs.2
Tripura 100 More than Rs.2
Uttarachal 100 Re.l
Union Territories 100 Not known
Orissa 41 Less than Re.l
Goa 20 More than Rs.2
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Jharkhand 13 More than Rs.2
Punjab 12 Rs. 1.5-2
West Bengal 10 Re.l
Bihar 5 Re.l
Himachal Pradesh 3 Rs. 1.5-2
Anjnrhal Pradesh 0 Zero
Assam 0 ZeroJammu & Kashmir 0 Zero
Manipur 0 Zero
Uttar Pradesh 0 Zero
INDIAb
55 Rs.1.17
a. Children receiving cooked mid-day meal as a proportion of all childrenattending government primary schools.
b. Approximate figure (weighted averages of state-specific figures)
Essential quality norms for mid-day meal programmes
1. Nutritious hot cooked meal: Nutritious, cooked meals should beprovided though the year. The menu should offer variety to sustain the
interest of children and to enhance the nutritional value of the meal.
2. Micronutrient supplementation: all mid-day meal programmesshould include a "micronutrient supplementation" component
(as well as mass deworming if needed), to address common
micronutrient deficiencies among children.
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3. Adequate manpower: Every school should have trained staff toprovide mid-day meals with no interference to the normal school
routine. Each school should have at least a cook and a helper. All
cooks should undergo training on nutrition, hygiene, maintenance of
accounts, and other essential skills.
4.Adequate utensils: Each school should have the necessary utensils includingvessels for cooking, water, and plates.
5. Drinking water: Each school should have a reliable supply of cleandrinking water within the premises.
6. Kitchen and storage: Each school should have adequate infrastructurefor mid-day meals, including a kitchen and separate storage space.
7. Logistics management: reliable arrangements for timely delivery ofgrain and other supplies should be in place everywhere.
8. Supervision and monitoring : Effective arrangements should be madefor close supervision and monitoring of mid-day meal programmes, and
prompt action in the even of lapses such as food poisoning , disruption
in food supply , social discrimination, etc.
9. Social equity: All cooking staff should be women and preferenceshould be given to Dalits. There should be no discrimination in
the mid-day meal process based on the social background of
children or cooking staff.
10. School health programme: The mid-day meal programme should belinked with an active school health programme.
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Chapter V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
In this study we have examined the impact of the mid-day meals on the students of
schools in Elampalloor panchayath. The schools selected were S.A.B.T.M.U.P.S
Kureepally, KGV Govt. UPS Kundara, Govt. L.P.S Perumpuzha, M.G.U.P.S
Perumpuzha and S.K.V.L.P.S Kundara.
The main objectives was to find out the socio economic status of children
beneficiaries of the scheme, impact on attendance and drop out rate and to find out the
expenditure for implementing the programme.
When we analyse the socio economic condition of childrens beneficiaries of the
scheme it is found that they come mostly from economically backward families.
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With regard to attendance the study reveals that the percentage of attendance in
class is better among children who take mid day meals in schools. It is found that after
noon attendance is roughly the same as morning attendance.
An attempt was made to calculated the expenditure of the programme. The cost
to feed a child is Rs. 1.5(1 Even though immediate economic benefit cannot be
calculated, in the long run this scheme will bring out healthy educated citizens.
Findings
1. Mid day meals enhance school participation, especially in backward areas.2. Mid day meals improves daily school attendance, not just annual
enrolment. Many parents and most teachers report that it is easier to send
their children off to school each morning, especially the younger ones.
3. The programme makes it easier to retain children in school after the lunchbreak, since children who go home for lunch often do not return to school,
especially if distances are great. It is found that afternoon attendance is
roughly the same as morning attendance.
4. Mid day meals contribute to socialization, in a caste and class- riddensociety. Sharing a common meal helps erode caste prejudices and class
inequalities.
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5. Many children come to school on an empty stomach and find it hard toconcentrate in the classroom beyond a few hours. Providing children with
meals put an end to the phenomenon of 'classroom hunger'
6. Noon meals have also solved the problem of hunger in general7. Majority of the beneficiaries are low income families. They are also mostly
from backward classes. They didn't have enough study material. Inadequate or
insufficient income is the main reason for this.
8. School meals also contribute the liberation of women. When children are assured ahot nutritious meal outside the home, mothers are feed from the task of preparing
noon meals
9. Children are generally happy to get something to eat at school. This is not so muchbecause of hungry, or because the food is better than what they get at home, but
because they enjoy sharing of food with their friends.
Suggestions
1. Quality issues need urgent attention if the programme is to achieve full potential.
The quality of mid day meal programmes could be drastically enhanced by
introducing a minimum norm of Rs.2 per child everywhere.
2. Variety of foods should be introduced in schools. More varied and nutritious
lunch menus are recommended. There must also take steps to enhance the
nutritional content of mid-day meal programme
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3. Effective arrangements should be made for close supervision and monitoring of
mid-day meal programmes, and prompt action in the event of lapses such as food
poisoning description in food supply, social discrimination.
4. A high level expert Group should be formed to review the "National
Programme of Nutritional Support for Primary Education" (NPNSPE) in the
light of supreme court orders.
5. Financial allocation needs to be raised. A moderate amount of additional
expenditure could radically enhance the quality of mid-day meals. The fund
allocated for the programme should be properly utilized.
6. The behavior of teachers should be improved while serving the meals. They
should consider the children as their own children.
7. Close supervision and regular inspections are essential to achieve higher quality
standards. Better monitoring would also help to eradicate petty corruption such as
pilferage of food by various intermediaries.
8. The condition of kitchens should be improved.
9. "School health" programmes should be revived around the country and
integrated with mid day meal schemes. The mid day meal programme should
be linked with an active school health programme.
10. Every school should have trained staff to provide mid-day meals with no
interference to the normal school routine. Each school should have at least a
cook and a helper. All cooks should undergo training on nutrition, hygienic,
maintenance of accounts and other essential skills.
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11. Strict instructions should be issued to the effect that central assistance for mid
day meals is intended as a supplement to the resources already provided by state
governments, and not as a substitute for them.
12. The arrangements where grain is provided free of cost to state governments
through the FCI should continue. This responsibility should not be "transferred"
to the state governments.
13. The mid-day meal programme could be extended and linked to related programme such as micronutrient supplementation, health services and
nutrition education.
14. Ensure regular supply of food15. Side dashes like leafy vegetables, eggs etc should be provided at least twice a
week.
Conclusion
From the above study we can conclude that
1. Children, beneficiaries of the scheme are mostly from backward class(socially and economically) insufficient or lack of income is one of the main
reason for them to depend on this programme.
2. The programme has a positive impact on attendance and drop out rates. It increasethe attendance rate among the feeding students and reduce the drop out rate of
the beneficiaries of the programme.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Government of Kerala Orders
G.O. Ms 247/84/G.Edn. dated 14-11-1984
G.O. Ms 211/85/G.Edn. dated 31-10-1985
G.O. Ms 28/27/G.Edn. dated 02-02-1987. Supreme
Court Orders
Interim Order dated 28/11/2001.
Interim Order dated 20/04/2004.
Books and Articles
Agarwal, A.N (1996). Indian Economy Problems of Development and Planning. Wishawa
Prakashan New Delhi.
Brinda Viswanathan (2006). Access to Nutritious Meal Programme, EPW, Vol. 34.
Chandrasekhar S and Abhiroop Mukhopadhya. Primary Education as
a Fundamental Right.
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Chandrasekhar, Usha (2003): 'Nutrition Meal Progamme of Tamil Nadu, New Delhi,
August 1.
Daniel Schrier (1964). The School drop out , a profile, The Educational
Digest (10-13).
Dreze, Jean and Aparajita Goyal (2003) Future of Mid Day Meals EPW,
Vol. 14.
Dreze, Jean Universalisation with quality (2006), EPW, Vol. 34.
Economic Review 2005-2006.
Economic Review 2005-2006.
Farzana Afridi (2005). Mid War Meals in two states EPW, vol. 15.
Govt, of India (1995): 'Nutrition Support to Education', Report of the Committee on
Midday meals.
Hoyt. B. Kenneth (1965) Guidance and Dropout, the Educational Digest.
Khandekar. M (1979). A Case study of Drop out in second Survey of Research in
Education Society for Educational Research and
Development, Baroda.
Khera, Reetika (2002). 'Mid Day Meals in Rajastan', The Hindu, Nov. 13.
Nidhi Kotwal and Dr. Neelima Gupta. Reasons for School Drop outs among rural
Girls.
Rama Chandran Vimala, Kameshwaxi Jandhyala, Aarti Sahjee (2003): "Through the
Life Cycle of Children", Mimeo, New Delhi: EPW.
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Rao, V.K.R.V (1982). Food Nutrition and Child Development - Chung Publication -
Allahabad.
Ravi, J (2003). 'Mid Day Meal Scheme in Gujarat', Paper Presented at a workshop on
Mid-Day Meals programmes in schools in India convened by the Nutrition Foundation
of India, New Delhi, August 1.
Renuka Chowdhury - ICD's: India's Response to Early Child Development. Yojana.
Srivasta, Purnima (1991): Education Nutrition and Child Development, Chung
Publication - Allahabad.
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APPENDIX
Section A
Name of the student
(1) Type of family size Joint family system Single family system
(2) Occupation of the parent Govt./Public sector employee Agriculture/Coolie Self employed Household
(3) Do you have own Yes Yes No
(4) Area of the house (sq. feet) Below.200Sq.Feet Between 200-300 Sq.f. Between 300-500 Above 500
(5) Roof of the house Thatched Tiled Concrete
(6) Area of land Below 5 cents Between 5-10 cents Between 15-20cents Above 20 cents
(7) Monthly income of the parents (in Rs) Rs.1000-1500 Rs. 1500-2000 Rs.2500-3000
/ Above Rs.4000
(8) Is your house electrified
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Yes No(9) Do you have regular midday meal in all days
All days Majority Few days Not at all
(10) What is your opinion about the quality of meals Very Good Good Average Poor Very poor
(11) What is your opinion about the quantity of food Mere sufficient Sufficient Just enough Enough
(12) Condition of Kitchen (clean or not) Yes ' ' No
(13,) Can ypu listen properly after the meals served in afternoon
Yes No(14) Do you continue in schools if the meals was stopped
Yes No(15) Your opinion about the behaviour of teachers while serving the meals
Very loving Not loving Harsh(16) Do you have enough study materials
Yes No(17) Do you belong to which caste
Non-Reservation Group OBC SC and ST
(18.) Are you happy to eat a common dish at noon
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Yes No