MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME: A STUDY OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF DISTRICT

Four important areas are identified for achieving the goal of Education for all. These are Access to Education, Enrolment of children, and Retention of the enrolled children As well as in academic achievement. The Mid Day Meal scheme is an effort to achieve and facilitate these objectives. Various schemes were implemented in the primary education sector by the Government to reach the disadvantaged population. Access to primary education was universalized through flagship programmes of Govt., like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, however, despite this; a few children are still deprived of Primary Education due to inability of their parents to send them to schools because of their poor economical status. For, these parents, sending their children to school means not only incurring extra financial burden but also depriving them of some money which their children would have earned otherwise by doing labour. That being the attitude of these economically backward parents, one may, perhaps, to motivate the parents and children was to bring their children to school by providing food and nutritional needs. Apart from enhancing school attendance and child nutrition, mid-day meal has an important social value and foster equality. Children learn to sit together and share a common meal; one can expect some erosion of caste prejudices, class inequality and reduce gender gap.On November 28, 2001, the Supreme Court of India gave direction making it mandatory to implement mid-day meal scheme in all states by providing every child in all Government and Government assisted schools with a prepared meal containing at least 300 Kcal of energy and eight to 12 g of protein each day, for a minimum of 200 days (Anon., 2006a and Anon., 2009). But as per the proceedings of budget 2008-09, the nutritional norms prescribed under the scheme for primary school children (I-V standard) is 450Kcal of energy and 12 g of protein and upper primary children (VI-VIII standard) is 700 Kcal of energy and 20 g of protein per day (Anon., 2009). The Government of Karnataka has initiated many programmes and policies towards achieving Universalisation of Elementary Education. The concept being free supply of text books and uniforms, awarding scholarships and supply of mid-day meal through Akshara Dasoha programme for enhancing enrolment, retention and ensuring eight years of quality education to each child (Anon., 2008). Akshara Dasoha programme was first implemented during the year 2002-03 in Raichur, Koppal, Gulbarga, Bidar, Bellary, Bijapur and Bagalkot which were the pioneering seven north-eastern districts of Karnataka. All children studying in the Government primary schools from class I to V standard were the beneficiaries. From July 1st 2003 the programme was extended to all other Government primary schools in the state. Later in 2007-08 the scheme was further extended to high schools.