A Study on Mid- Day Meal Scheme in Lower Primary Schools of Kamrup (M) District, Assam: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

1995 saw the beginning of the National Program for Nutritional Support to Primary Education (NPNSPE). The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), which was also known as the Mid-Day Meal Program (MDP), was restricted to delivering only dry food. It was the year 2001 that the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision mandating all states to begin delivering prepared midday meals within six months of the court's decision. By March 2004, all elementary schools in all states of the country, including Assam, were delivering cooked midday meals to their students. Later, it was expanded to include children in upper primary (classes VI to VIII) schools. As of now, MDMS is the world's largest feeding programme, serving up to 12 million children per month. The goal of the MDMS was to increase the number of children who enrolled, stayed enrolled, and attended school, as well as improve their nutritional status.

Additionally, the MDMS is expected to take use of the chance to instil a spirit of equality among and sharing among students from a variety of social backgrounds. A large number of studies have revealed that in India, the concept of the government giving a cooked noon lunch to students in its schools has a long history.

It was the goal of this study to collect opinions on perceived benefits by beneficiaries on the operation of the Mid-day Meal Scheme in Kamrup, Assam, with the ultimate goal of assessing the perception, belief, opinion, and acceptance of parents on the Mid-day Meal Scheme in the area.

The findings demonstrated that both the children and their parents were pleased with the way the programme was run, the quality of the food served, and the menu. The sharing of food with apparent social interaction was found to be enjoyable by all of the youngsters, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

The impoverished parents had a very positive opinion of the Scheme, and they recommended that it be continued with the addition of newer food items to raise the nutritional level of the children. Few, on the other hand, saw the programme as an impediment to teaching, and as a result, there has been no significant improvement in the learning achievement of pupils.