New policy proposes breakfast for school kids besides mid-day meals

new delhi — The mid-day meals provided to students in government or aided schools should be supplemented by breakfast, the new National Education Policy (NEP) has proposed.

The policy which was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this week has noted that morning hours after a nutritious breakfast can be particularly productive for the study of cognitively more demanding subjects and hence recommended expansion of the midday meal scheme to include provisions for breakfast in schools.

“Children are unable to learn optimally when they are undernourished or unwell. Hence, the nutrition and health (including mental health) of children will be addressed, through healthy meals and the introduction of well-trained social workers, counsellors, and community involvement into the schooling system,” the policy said.

“Furthermore, research shows that the morning hours after a nutritious breakfast can be particularly productive for the study of cognitively more demanding subjects and hence these hours may be leveraged by providing a simple but energizing breakfast in addition

to mid-day meals,” it added.

In locations where hot meals are not possible, a simple but nutritious meal— groundnuts or chana mixed with jaggery and local fruits may be provided.

“All schoolchildren shall undergo regular health check-ups especially for 100 per cent immunisation in schools and health cards will be issued to monitor the same,” the policy said.

The revised policy has proposed that prior to the age of 5 every child will move to a “preparatory class” or “balavatika”.

“The learning in the preparatory class shall be based primarily on play-based learning with a focus on developing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities and early literacy and numeracy. The mid-day meal programme shall also be extended to the preparatory classes in primary schools.

“Health check-ups and growth monitoring that are available in the anganwadi system shall also be made available to preparatory class students of anganwadi as well as of primary schools,” the policy document said. —