The government has planned to provide nutritious meals to 3.1 million (31 lakh) primary school students five days a week, focusing on poverty-prone areas of the country. Under this 'School Feeding' programme, students will receive milk, eggs, seasonal fruits, bananas, fortified biscuits, cakes and ban ruti.
In the initial phase, the Department of Primary Education will implement this initiative in 18,000 to 19,000 government primary schools across 150 upazilas. Officials have stated that the project aims to ensure adequate nutrition for students in these poverty-affected areas. The meals will be distributed during tiffin time, between 12 noon and 1 pm in all participating schools.
According to the department, a three-phase programme roadmap has been developed for distributing meals five days a week. On the days milk is provided, bread will be included. When eggs are served, students will also receive bananas and fortified biscuits. Similarly, when seasonal fruits are offered, additional food items will be provided alongside them.
The Planning Commission has announced that the project will be presented for final approval at the next Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting on Sunday. The initiative, titled 'Feeding Programme in Government Primary Schools,' is estimated to cost Tk 5,452 crore and will be implemented in 19,419 government primary schools across 150 upazilas with extreme poverty. To ensure proper execution, approximately 19,719 head teachers will undergo training in 192 batches to raise awareness about the feeding programme.
For the short term, considering the logistics of school feeding management, nutritional value, and costs, students will receive packaged food consisting of high-nutritional-value fortified biscuits, buns, pasteurised milk, fruits, and eggs five days a week.
Project sources indicate that the meal plan will be adjusted to include regional variations in seasonal fruit offerings. For instance, in Barisal, amra and mango will be served with milk, while in Rajshahi, mango will be included with milk. This initiative aims to ensure that all 3.1 million students across 150 upazilas receive nutritious tiffin meals.
The Department of Primary Education intends to include milk, eggs, and bread in the mid-day meals for primary school students. This plan is being introduced on an experimental basis in 19,000 government primary schools across 150 upazilas.
A previous initiative had proposed serving khichuri as the mid-day meal, but the project was cancelled following criticism. Experts argue that simply offering a variety of foods is insufficient-ensuring proper nutrition is essential. If the meals provided do not meet nutritional standards, replacing khichuri with other foods will not be beneficial.
Rasheda K Chowdhury, former adviser to the caretaker government, suggested that distributing eggs, bread, milk, and biscuits in schools could be a viable alternative to khichuri on a trial basis. However, she highlighted concerns regarding corruption in implementation. She emphasised that the process must remain transparent and well-managed to guarantee the nutritional value of the food provided.
