Ripple effect for b’fast scheme on school campuses

CHENNAI: The Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme, since its implementation in September 2022, has not only been instrumental in bringing down dropouts in primary classes but has also been creating a positive ripple effect within school premises and society overall.

Several teachers and members of Self Help Groups (SHGs), speaking to DT Next, said the food never gets wasted. “Instead, we go ahead and distribute it among children of other classes who have reported to school without having breakfast,” said a teacher.

Many students of classes 6 to 10, especially in government schools in north Chennai, also said they have eaten breakfast at the school in several instances. Several students and teachers from other TN districts also share similar stories. Aimed at controlling the surging rate of malnourishment and high prevalence of anaemia among TN students, the State government announced the scheme in May 2022. Subsequently, the scheme was introduced for students between classes 1 to 5 in all government schools.

Currently, catering to over 1.14 lakh primary school students studying in 1,545 government schools, the scheme is functional at Rs 33.56 crore. Though the government has made an assurance that the scheme will be extended to other schools in a phased manner, the teachers have already begun to see the positive impact.

A government school teacher in Korukkupet said, “Once we finish serving students of classes 1 to 5, we quickly check which students of other classes have missed breakfast and serve the rest to them. Over time, we have noticed a greater impact of this practice here and elsewhere.”

Interestingly, speaking about how his mother leaves home for work early in the morning, a class 9 student in Tondiarpet government school said, “As my mother finds it difficult to cook breakfast on most days, I have had breakfast at school after the intervention of my school head. There are many students like me, who, for their own reasons, come to school without breakfast. Hence, it is vital to extend the scheme for all classes.”

Explaining how these initiatives create a deep impact in society, a city-based educationalist and child rights activist said, “Though the impact of such schemes cannot be measured in numbers, they hold great value and certainly create a powerful ripple effect in society. Feeding every student is vital, especially those who come from backgrounds that cannot afford it for various reasons. The government should extend the scheme to other higher classes and aided schools as well.”