The Cabinet has approved the draft of ‘National School Meal Policy 2019’ incorporating the provisions on introducing midday meal scheme at all government primary schools in the country by 2023.
The approval came at a regular of the Cabinet held at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Monday (Aug 19) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
“At the begging, the scheme will be implemented at the schools in cahr, haror and remote area,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told the reporters after the meeting.
“The primary and mass education ministry will run the programme [on midday meal] and implementation of a pilot project is underway at 104 upazilas,” said Alam before adding all government primary schools would be brought under it coverage in phases by 2023.
The senior official said a student aged between 3 and 12 years would be provided with foods, containing 30 calories, every day under the programme.
The policy will be turned into a law by 2023.
In line with the policy, the government will form a National School Meal Authority to supervise the overall activities and an advisory committee comprising eminent personalities of the society to evaluate and give necessary advices to make it successful, he added.
Speaking of details on the project, Additional Secretary (development) mass education ministry Md Gias Uddin Ahmed as many as 14 million students of 66,000 government primary schools across the country will be provided with midday meals by 2023.
It will require Tk 28.35 billion per year for giving fortified biscuits to the students, Tk 55.6 billion giving cooked foods in five days and biscuits in one day and Tk 74.75 billion to give egg, banana and bread, he added
It will cost Tk 9 per student for providing fortified biscuit, Tk 16 to 18 for cooked-food and Tk 25 for egg, banana and biscuits.
Referring to a survey, Ahmed said that the rate of presence of the students has increased by 11 percent in schools where cooked foods are being served and by 6 percent where biscuits are being given to the students.
The government is currently giving a 75-gram pack of biscuit to nearly three million children at primary schools in 104 upazilas under the current project involving Tk 4.74 billion and it will end by December in 2020.
The government is providing cooked midday meal to primary school students in three upazilas in Barguna, Jamalpur and Bandarban districts, Ahmed added.