Mid day meals

Introduction

The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is the world’s largest feeding program and was launched by India’s central government in August 1995 with the lofty goals of “enhancing enrollment, retention, and attendance while simultaneously improving nutritional levels among children.” In a landmark order dated 28 November 2001, the Supreme Court of India directed all state governments to introduce cooked mid-day meals in primary schools within six months. MMS (or MDMS or MDM) has become a key program for the government, now serving about 105 million primary and upper-primary schoolchildren in 1.2 million schools.[2] When implemented properly, MDMS has had a noticeable positive impact on student attendance and enrollment, alongside a reduction in teacher absenteeism.

Concept Map

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Useful websites

1. Government of India portal on MMS, which has detailed information about working of the MMS. This includes a document with Frequently Asked Questions on MMS
2. Wikipedia page on MMS
3. Right to Food site

Learning Outlines

The MMS programme is the largest feeding programme in the world! From an ELM point of view, there is enormous learning possibilities from studying the design and implementation of the programme.

The programme involves many actors, ranging from the children who are the beneficiaries, to the cooks who produce the food, to the teachers/head teachers who facilitate the programme on a daily basis. The programme has a huge logistical component, including the massive movement of foodgrains from FCI godowns to schools across the country, the provision of fuel (cooking gas in most places), the additional and critical (from a nutrition point of view) items such as vegetables, fruits, eggs etc. This requires a large set of people administering the programme regularly and also supervising the implementation.

The ELM processes too can be studied elaborately for the MMS programme. Understanding the vision of the programme, its design and implementation, and the gaps between these can help education leaders at all levels to reflect, review and revise the programme.

Key Idea # 1 Why MMS? Objectives of MMS

Learning objectives

1. Understanding the vision of the programme
2. Understanding the goals/aims
3. Understanding the programme design vis-a-vis the vision/aims
4. Understanding the programme implementation vis-a-vis the design

Notes for transaction/training

TBD

Key Idea # 2 Quality of MMS

Learning objectives

1. Role of quality of the processes
2. Role of quality of the food
3. Hygiene aspect
4. Quality of the social processes connected to the MMS in the school

Notes for transaction/training

TBD ===Activity No # 1 mid day meals quality enhancing nutrition

Key Idea # 3 Challenges

1. Issues of inclusion / exclusion
2. Financing the MMS - implications for quality
3. Social inclusion goals
4. Nutrition and food quality

Research

Many studies have been carried out on MMS, including

1. Karnataka study on Akshara Dasoha, by Policy Planning Unit
2. A desk review of the Mid-Day Meals Programme, July 2007
3. AN EVALUATION OF MID DAY MEAL SCHEME - IIM Ahmedabad faculty, focusing on the quality of nutrition]
4. [http://www.educationforallinindia.com/Jharkhand-Best%20Practices%20Adopted%20in%20Mid.pdf National Programme of Nutritional Support in

Government Primary and Upper Primary Schools: Best practices from Jharkhand]

Articles and Papers

Prof Jean Dreze has written extensively on the MMS design and implementation in various states and the benefits and shortcomings

1. Mid-Day Meals and Children’s Rights
2. THE FUTURE OF MID-DAY MEALS
3. “Mid-Day Meals in Primary Schools: Achievements and Challenges”, Economic and Political Weekly, 18 November, 2006. Perspectives.

Prof Reetika Khera has written extensively on the MMS design and implementation in various states and the benefits and shortcomings

1. Mid-Day Meals in Primary Schools Achievements and Challenges - REETIKA KHERA

1. Mid-day meal programmes in schools in India-The way forward, discusses status and actions required.

Case studies

Community involvement

1. Scheme provisions for community engagement
2. “A Place for the Grassroots”: Examining the Role of Community Participation and Local Governance in Providing Mid-Day Meals in Lucknow District, Uttar Pradesh

One minute film on community involvement

Going beyond mid day meals

Pondicherry

Supplying breakfast

Karnataka

Ksheera Bhagyya

Health

MHRD provision for Folic acid, Iron tablets, De-worming

Community project

In many places, the community contributes to the MMS by providing vegetables and fruits (local produce). In many cases, schools have developed 'kitchen gardens' to grow fruits and vegetables to add to the nutritional value of the meals.