<i>Midday meal for school kids at local initiative</i>
Students of Nagar Kumari Government Primary School in Boda upazila of Panchagarh district stand in a queue to have their hands and plates washed before taking midday meal on Tuesday. The district administration with the help of guardians of the children and local education enthusiasts arranged the cost-free feeding programme.Photo: STAR
Nagar Kumari Government Primary School in Boda upazila under Panchagarh district has started midday meal programme for the learners, thanks to the initiative of district administration and generosity of local guardians and education enthusiasts. Panchagarh Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Tofazzal Hossain Mian on Tuesday inaugurated the programme titled 'Chalo Schoole Jai, Dupure Khai' (let us go to school, have midday meal) on experimental basis. "The programme aims at protecting children from hunger during class hours, combating malnutrition, increasing school enrolment and attendance and reducing dropout," said Hosneara Begum, headmaster of the school. "We have arranged lunch free of cost for 303 children on school days. They will be given khichuri three days a week and rice and vegetables rest of the days. On the first day, khichuri was prepared with 30 kg of rice, five of kg pulse and five kg of potato. "Groups comprising mothers of the schoolchildren will do the cooking by rotation. Guardians of the children and local education enthusiasts are donating to run the programme," she said. "Due to poverty, most of the rural guardians cannot arrange even moderate food for their children. It becomes difficult for the underfed children to pay attention to classes. Eventually, they lose interest to come to school," said DC Tofazzal Hossain, who took the initiative and arranged cooking utensils for the purpose. "Within a month, we will introduce midday meal programme in ten primary schools in different upazilas of the district. After evaluation of its progress for several months, we will start it in ten other primary schools. We hope the programme will be sustainable as locals have extended their cooperation to run it," he said. The school was established in 1965 and there are 303 students and seven teachers in the school. "I liked the food very much and I will come to school every day," said Raihan, a student of the school. Several others including Siddik and Taslim echoed the same.
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