Evaluation of Mid-Day Meal Programme on Grass Root Level in India

Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(3): 1039-1046 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(3): 1039-1046 Evaluation of mid-day meal programme on grass Received: 19-03-2019 Accepted: 21-04-2019 root level in India Neha Singh Department of Extension, Neha Singh Education and Communication Management, College of Home Abstract Science, Swami Keshwanand Mid-day meal programme was launched as a centrally sponsored programme on 15th August 1995. Its Rajasthan Agriculture objective was to boost universalization of primary education and to improve the nutritional status of University, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India children by the food being given to them at the school. The impact of mid-day-meals programme on enrolment and retention of primary school children that parents are more interested to send their children. Due to the introduction mid-day meals percentage of retention has been increased. Mid-day meal programme is helping to supplement nutrients in daily diet of the children. One balanced meal everyday has reduced deficiencies of vital nutrients like vitamins and calcium, making them less susceptible to diseases. This programme has been one of the better programmes for its usefulness and effective implementation. It has also helped to break caste barriers since all the children sit and eat together. The MDM (Mid-Day Meal) in the form of NP-NSPE has become not only a nationwide programme but also a national programme. To improve the mid-day meal programme on grass root level, it is necessary to evaluate the strength and weakness of the programme periodically. In order to attaining the TQM (Total Quality Management) of this national programme, it is very essential to take an active participation of the people, belong to different strata of society. It is also essential to take regular feedback from the personnel, belong to ‘administrative machinery’. Keywords: Mid-day meal programme, enrolment, education, implementation Introduction Mid-day meal programme was launched as a centrally sponsored programme on 15th August 1995. Its objective was to boost universalization of primary education and to improve the nutritional status of children by the food being given to them at the school. Without healthy body, the mind does not develop without good food. It is therefore, become most essential to have a good and nutritious food for our growing children. The mid-day meal programme was introduced primarily to protect the nutritional as well as the educational rights of the children. This is due to the fact that children are not able to concentrate in their studies with empty stomach and there is a need to focus upon the mid-day meal programme, to overcome child’s short term hunger. Thus, initiating this kind of meal programme, Government of India aimed at helping the children especially belong to the poor socio-economic background to attend school and to have at least Mid-day Meal through which their education as well as food related issues could be tackled. Therefore, mid-day meal programme is perceived as a major means to impart positive habits among the children and also in educating them on the importance of health, sanitation, and socialization. It is also seen as a factor for economic support to poor parents and educating them about the value of education instead of sending their children for meager daily earnings. More importantly, it was aimed to facilitate and increase the school participation among the underprivileged children which would lead to their educational as well as economic upliftment. Further, the mid-day meal programme promises to provide each child one third of the daily nutrient requirement in the form of cooked meal to combat his/her food and nutritional deficiencies. The mid-day meal programme is the India’s second largest food security programme. For the children and, it is perhaps the largest food security programme in the Correspondence world. Neha Singh Department of Extension, Major objectives of mid-day meal programme Education and Communication The mid-day meal programme was started with two major objectives: firstly to enhance the Management, College of Home Science, Swami Keshwanand child’s nutrition level secondly to provide the basic education. Thus the mid-day meal Rajasthan Agriculture programme was introduced basically to improve the overall development of the primary school University, Bikaner, Rajasthan, children’s education. Therefore, it has varied objectives like: India ~ 1039 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry To increase the nutritional level of the school going revealed that majority of school children from rural (52.5%) children To enhance the educational attainment of the has poor knowledge on Akshara Dasoha yojana and in urban children this was (24.5%). Attitude towards Akshara Dasoha yojana To retain the children in the school for a long period of was found to be neutral amongst 51.5% of rural and 58% of time urban school children. However, the study indicated the need To develop the process of socialization. of educating the school children about nutritional program like Akshara Dasoha yojana and importance of developing Knowledge and Opinion of the Parents, School Children, more positive attitude towards it (Shetty and Vallesha, 2014) Teachers about Mid-day Meal Programme [84]. A study on community participation in mid-day meal Role of the head teacher in the school feeding programme is scheme: exclusion and inclusion in Andhra Pradesh to ensure that the food supplied to the school is of good concluded that the widespread views among parents and quality in terms of dietary needs of the pupils; availability of teachers were that the MDM (Mid-day Meal) programme had proper facilities for storage and preparation of the food and led to increased attendance and enrollment. All the active mobilization of parents to volunteer and prepare the meals for stakeholders in the participation of MDM (Mid-day Meal) their children (WFP, 2003). About ten per cent of parents said programme in schools were satisfied with the quality and that the pupils felt unwell from time to time after consuming quantity of cooked MDM (Mid-day Meal). The problem of MDM at least once in a twelve month (Dreze and Goyal, food material storage and quality deterioration in schools is 2003) [25]. However school administrators perceive their role major challenge. In schools where kitchen gardens were of SFP implementation as expensive in terms of time, loaded grown, the meal becomes enriched with locally available with implementation problems and ineffective in meeting vegetables and fruits with the participation of children, health nutrition and educational objectives (Levinger, 2004) teachers and community (Pinisetty, 2015) [67]. [48]. Majority of the Hindu household felt that there was no The impact of mid-day-meals programme on enrolment and positive impact, the wage earners and small cultivators (SC, retention of primary school children that parents are more ST and Muslim background) pointed to important impacts of interested to send their children. Due to the introduction mid- the programme including an ability to provide a second meal day meals percentage of retention has been increased. The in the day and also 80 per cent was in favour of the headman has expressed their opinion in support of introducing programme while 20 per cent (who were caste Hindus) were of mid-day meals scheme at the primary level. The Mid-day opposed to it, because of the increasing number of SC/ST and meals programme helps increasing the attendance and Muslim students. 88 per cent of children wanted the enrolment of the poor students. The rural teachers and programme to continue (Pratichi, 2004) [70]. Nearly, 60 per headman have unanimously positive attitude towards this cent of the parents felt that the meal was of or very good Mid-day meal programme. It is found that rural head teachers quality; 96% of parents and 93% teachers , felt that scheme have showed favorable attitude towards introduction of mid- should be continued as it positively influenced attendance day meals programme at primary level (Nath and Nath, 2015) besides providing food to poor children who may have [60]. otherwise gone hungry. Parents felt that children’s interest in studies had increased and it had become easier to send them Attendance, enrolment, retention of the school children to school (Jain and Shah, 2005) [37]. Under the study of best A field survey was initiated by the Centre for Equity studies practices in the implementation of mid-day meal scheme in (CES) in three states; Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Assam, through different case studies the study revealed that They reported in their findings that the school enrolment SMC (School Management Committee) members taking keen increased after mid-day meals were introduced (Dreze and interest in school activities and conducting monthly meetings. Goyal, 2003) [25]. The impact of school meals on school Mother’s group is very active and dedicated for the participation: evidence from rural India assesses the effect of development of the school. Head teacher is maintaining all the transition from monthly distribution of free food grains to the records regarding MDM (Mid-Day Meal). Providing quality daily provision of free cooked meals to school children on food under MDM (Mid-Day Meal) programme. Maintaining enrollments and attendance in a rural area of India. School the hygienic condition in the kitchen by the cook. Teacher’s panel data allow a difference-in-differences estimation involvement in MDM (Mid-Day Meal) programme. strategy to address possible endogeneity of program Community contribution to the school. Using water filter for placement. The results suggest that program transition had a drinking water purpose (Raju, 2009) [74]. In a study of best significant impact on improving the daily participation rates practices adopted in mid-day-meal scheme in Uttar Pradesh, of children in lower grades.

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