Govt to Introduce Mid-Day Meals in Primary Schools in 349 Upazilas

The government has decided to expand the Mid-Day Meal (School Feeding) programme to 349 additional upazilas across the country to reduce school dropouts, increase attendance, and ensure better nutrition for primary school students.

This was confirmed by Project Director and Joint Secretary Md. Harun Ar Rashid of the School Feeding Programme under the Directorate of Primary Education. He told The Daily Campus on Monday (13 April) that the new phase of the project is already in process.

Current Status

• Last year, the programme was launched in 150 upazilas, covering 19,419 government primary schools and benefiting around 31.13 lakh students.
• Students were provided with fortified biscuits, bananas or seasonal fruits, bread, eggs, and UHT milk five days a week.

During the first phase, there were widespread complaints from various parts of the country regarding poor-quality food, including rotten bananas, spoiled eggs, and mouldy bread.

Project Director Md. Harun Ar Rashid said, “We have received several complaints. Since the project is new, some irregularities may have occurred. However, we have already issued show-cause notices to the concerned contractors and warned them. We have also formed a committee to investigate the complaints.”

The government aims to gradually bring all primary schools in metropolitan cities, district towns, and rural areas under this programme.