The Mid-Day Meal Scheme: A Safety Net for Children
Keywords:
Mid-day meal, school enrolment, attendance, nutritional status, Central government
Abstract
Abstract: School feeding programmes are a social safety net as well as an educational intervention to bring children into school so that they are able to learn. The underlying principle is that if hunger in the school setting is eliminated, children will be able to learn. The mid-day meal scheme, also known as the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NP-NSPE) has a long history but was implemented in its present form upon the directives of the Supreme Court in 2001. This Centrally sponsored scheme is the largest in the world, reaching out daily to 10.33 crore children studying in 11.67 lakh government, government aided schools, those run by local bodies, children studying in Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) centres including madrasas/ maqtabs under Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan, employing about 25 lakhs helpers. This scheme has been evaluated many times vis-à-vis its objectives of enrolment, attendance and retention. Enrolment and attendance have improved in all states. There are few studies on nutritional status and despite its noble objectives there are some gaps that are being addressed by the Government.
References
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23. Misra SN and Behera M. Child Nutrition and Primary Education: A Comparative Study of Mid-day Meal Programme in Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Social Development. 2003; 3(2): 267-99.
24. Sharma A.K, Singh S, SonaliMeena S, Kannan A.T. (2010) Impact of NGO Run Mid Day Meal Program on Nutrition Status and Growth of Primary School Children. Indian J Pediatr. 2010; 77 (7):763-769.
25. India. State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT). Study of Impact of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme on School Enrolment and Retention. Chhattisgarh. 2014 Retrieved from http:// scert.cg.gov. in/pdf/research papers / study reports/ MDM% 20 Chattisgarh % 20 Final%20Report.pdf.
26. South Asia Sustainable Development Department. Social Accountability Series Note No. 3. Case Study 3 Rajasthan, India: An Assessment of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Chittorgarh District. 2007. (Cited on 19th November 2015) Retrieved from http://www.cutsinternational. org/CART/pdf/LearningNote_MDMS. pdf.
27. Kantawala S, Iyer U, Dhruv S, Gandhi H. Perceptions of Municipal School Teachers of Urban Vadodra on Strengths and Weaknesses of Mid-day Meal Programme: Voices from the Ground. J Community Nutrition and Health. 2013;2(2):26-31.
28. Nambiar V and Desai R. Behaviour Change Communication Strategies for Improvement of Mid-Day Meal in Urban Vadodra –Western India. Universal J Pharm. 2013; 2(02):111-117.
29. India. Planning Commission (2010) Performance Evaluation of Cooked Mid-Day Meal (CMDM). Programme Evaluation Organisation. Social Development Intervention. PEO Report No 202. Government of India. 2010. (Cited on 10th November 2015). Retrieved from http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/ peoreport/peoevalu/peo_cmdm.pdf.
30. India. Department of Economic and Statistical Analysis. Evaluation Study of Mid Day Meal. Publication No. 1009 Evaluation Study No. 143. Government of Haryana, Panchkula.(Cited on 30th November 2015). Retrieved fromhttp://esaharyana.gov.in/Data/ Surveys/MDM.pdf.
31. Hamid Y, Hamid A. Mid–Day Meal Scheme and Growth of Primary Education: A Case Study of District Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. 2012; 9(1):80-89.
32. Sahai CS. Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Achievements and Challenges.International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention.2014; 3(10):6-9.
2. Bonds S. Food for Thought: Evaluating the Impact of India’s Mid-Day Meal Program on Educational. Undergraduate Honors (Thesis). Berkeley: University of California, Department of Economics; 2012. Retrieved from http://econ.berkeley.edu/sites/default/ files/Bonds.pdf.
3. Bhargav S and Bhargav A. An Evaluative Study Of Opinion And Awarness Of Primary School Teachers Towards Implementation Of Mid-Day Meal Program. Excel International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies. 2011;1:21-30.
4. Birchfield L and Corsi J. The Right to Life Is the Right to Food: People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India & Others. Human Rights Brief. 2010; 17(3):15- 18. Retrieved from https://www.wcl.american.edu/ hrbrief/17/3corsi.pdf
5. Dave A and Mandaviya M. A Critical Review On MDM Scheme: A Case Study Of Gujarat, India. International Journal of Business Management & Research. 2014; 4(5):1-8
6.a.Ministry Of Human Resource Development Department Of School Education & Literacy ShastriBhavan D.O. No. 15-6[2015-0esk (MOM) 06th August, 2015.
b. Ministry Of Human Resource Development(2015). Notification.Department of School Education and Literacy.New Delhi, 30th September.
7. Athreya VB. The School Feeding Programme in India. M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. 2011; 1:5-36. Retrieved from http://www.mssrf.org/sites/default/ files/School-Feeding-Programmes-in-India.pdf.
8. BachpanBachaoAndolan. In School and Working Children. Reality of Right to Education Act’s Implementation. 2013. Retrieved from http://www.bba.org.in/sites/default/files/In_School_and_working_ children.pdf
9. Nambiyar S, Pande G, Solanki J. Innovation in Delivery of Mid-Day Meal Scheme through Private Public Partnership. Reaching Out to People: Achieving Millennium Development Goals through Innovative Public Service Delivery. NAPSIPAG 7th International Conference; 2010 December 11 to 13; Delhi, India.
10. Ministry of Human Resource Development. Guidelines to ensure quality, safety and hygiene under the Mid Day Meal Scheme. Department of School Education and Literacy. Mid Day Meal Division. New Delhi 2013. (Cited 2015, 27th November). Retrieved from http://www.napsipag.org/PDF/SUNITA%20 NAMBIYAR.pdf.
11. Prasad H. A. C, Sinha N. K, Khan RA. Performance of Major Social Sector Schemes: A Sample Survey Report. Department of Economic Affairs. Ministry of Finance, Government of India. 2013: 1-33. Retrieved from http://finmin.nic.in/workingpaper/Performance_ MSSSchemes.pdf.
12. Jayaraman R, Simroth D. The impact of school lunches on primary school enrolment. ESMT European School of Management and Technology Working Paper. Berlin, Germany. 2011. Retrieved from http://static. esmt.org/publications/workingpapers/ESMT-11-11. pdf.
13. Singh S, Gupta N. Impact of Mid Day Meal on Enrollment, Attendance and Retention of Primary
School Children. International Journal of Science and Research. 2015;4(2):1203-1205.
14. Alasingapernumal M.C. Mid Day Meal improve school Education. The Educational Review, 387, 9th Cross, Mahalaxmi Layout, Bangalore 60. 2003.
15. Singh M, Mishra N. Evaluation Study On Mid Day Meal Programme In Meghalaya. Council For Social Development, Southern Regional Centre, Hyderabad. 2010. Retrieved fromhttp://righttoeducation.in/sites/ default/files/MDM-FINAL-REPORT.pdf.
16. Avinash T and Avinash M. A Study Of Mid Day Meal Scheme Under Food Security With Special Reference To Upper Primary Schools Of Rural BhadravthiTaluk. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences. 2013; 2(12):88-97.
17. Paul PK, Mondal NK. Impact of Mid-day Meal Programme on Academic Performance of Students: Evidence from few Upper Primary Schools of Burdwan District in West Bengal. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences 2012; 2(3): 391-406.
18. Khalil FAS, Mirza I, Khan Z. Impact of Mid-Day Meal Scheme On The Nutritional Status And Academic Achievement Of School Children In Aligarh City Indian J.Sci.Res. 2012; 3(2) : 85-90.
19. Singh A. Do School Meals Work? Treatment Evaluation of the Midday Meal Scheme in India. MSc Economics (Dissertation). Young Lives Student Paper and Internation Study of Childhood Poverty.United Kingdom: University of Oxford; 2008. Retrieved from http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/pdf/outputs/younglives/yl_ singh_nov08.pdf.
20. Afridi, F. Child Welfare Programs and Child Nutrition: Evidence from a Mandated School Meal Program. Journal of Development Economics. 2010; 92(2):152- 165.
21. Bhoite R and Iyer U. Operational Research on Mid Day Meal Program And Its Outcome On Growth Of School Children In Rural Area. International Journal of Applied Biology and Pharmaceutical Technology. 2011; 2(2):448-453.
22. Mehta B, Grover K, Kaur R. Nutritional Contribution of Mid Day Meal to Dietary Intake of School Children in Ludhiana District of Punjab. Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences. 2013; 3:183. doi: 10.4172/2155- 9600.1000183.
23. Misra SN and Behera M. Child Nutrition and Primary Education: A Comparative Study of Mid-day Meal Programme in Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Social Development. 2003; 3(2): 267-99.
24. Sharma A.K, Singh S, SonaliMeena S, Kannan A.T. (2010) Impact of NGO Run Mid Day Meal Program on Nutrition Status and Growth of Primary School Children. Indian J Pediatr. 2010; 77 (7):763-769.
25. India. State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT). Study of Impact of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme on School Enrolment and Retention. Chhattisgarh. 2014 Retrieved from http:// scert.cg.gov. in/pdf/research papers / study reports/ MDM% 20 Chattisgarh % 20 Final%20Report.pdf.
26. South Asia Sustainable Development Department. Social Accountability Series Note No. 3. Case Study 3 Rajasthan, India: An Assessment of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Chittorgarh District. 2007. (Cited on 19th November 2015) Retrieved from http://www.cutsinternational. org/CART/pdf/LearningNote_MDMS. pdf.
27. Kantawala S, Iyer U, Dhruv S, Gandhi H. Perceptions of Municipal School Teachers of Urban Vadodra on Strengths and Weaknesses of Mid-day Meal Programme: Voices from the Ground. J Community Nutrition and Health. 2013;2(2):26-31.
28. Nambiar V and Desai R. Behaviour Change Communication Strategies for Improvement of Mid-Day Meal in Urban Vadodra –Western India. Universal J Pharm. 2013; 2(02):111-117.
29. India. Planning Commission (2010) Performance Evaluation of Cooked Mid-Day Meal (CMDM). Programme Evaluation Organisation. Social Development Intervention. PEO Report No 202. Government of India. 2010. (Cited on 10th November 2015). Retrieved from http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/ peoreport/peoevalu/peo_cmdm.pdf.
30. India. Department of Economic and Statistical Analysis. Evaluation Study of Mid Day Meal. Publication No. 1009 Evaluation Study No. 143. Government of Haryana, Panchkula.(Cited on 30th November 2015). Retrieved fromhttp://esaharyana.gov.in/Data/ Surveys/MDM.pdf.
31. Hamid Y, Hamid A. Mid–Day Meal Scheme and Growth of Primary Education: A Case Study of District Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. 2012; 9(1):80-89.
32. Sahai CS. Mid-Day Meal Scheme: Achievements and Challenges.International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention.2014; 3(10):6-9.
Published
2019-08-06
How to Cite
Dr. S A Udipi. (2019). The Mid-Day Meal Scheme: A Safety Net for Children. The Indian Practitioner, 68(12), 55-60. Retrieved from https://articles.theindianpractitioner.com/index.php/tip/article/view/521
Section
Review article
