Following news that students were regularly fainting during assembly sessions at schools in Attapadi, an inquiry was set up. While the children were detected with low haemoglobin, we went to their houses to inquire what the situations in their homes were. We were pained to find out that many students were not having food from home in the mornings and evenings and depended only on the food that was being supplied at their school. While the parents of these children have snacks while on work, the children often go without anything to eat after one meal.
I was reminded of these children when I came to know that the pre-budget discussions at the central government touched upon putting an end to the school meals programme because of irregularities involved in the way it was being implemented.
Children in the tribal hamlets in Kerala solely depend on the midday meal scheme in schools for food. The food is also a great source of relief to those families who are backward and have very little means of sustenance. The scheme also complements the national mission of providing compulsory education to children. Officials would agree without doubt that the number of students in many schools is not dropping only because of this scheme.
Of the 6000 students in about 27 schools in Attapady, most students depend on the midday meal for their nutrition. Many students come to schools only for the food that it serves. The data was collected by Shanti Medical Information Centre workers.
The centre offered medicines and tonics to students who regularly complained of dizziness and anaemia. However, students became smarter only after we provided food to them two times a day.
The move to stop mid-day meals would affect those children who have nothing much to eat before they begin their day walking kilometres to reach the school.
If there is corruption in the implementation of mid-day meals, it only indicates the problems with the government and its inefficiency. Rather than finding solution to resist fraud, it would make no sense to penalise kids who look forward to a day's nutrition from their schools. Such a move can only be termed as gross irresponsibility.
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