The Effect of a Midday Meal Program on Elementary School Students' Registration, Engagement, and Academic Performances

Author Name : Dr. Asha Yadav, Dr. Jaswinder Kaur

ABSTRACT

One of the most crucial aspects of a country's societal fabric is education. The developing world still lags behind in this critical criterion, with an average literacy rate of 80%. The predominance of poverty is the common denominator for low literacy rates in emerging nations. In poor nations, one-third of schoolchildren are malnourished due to poverty. Malnourished children are physically and mentally undeveloped, making schooling difficult for them.

Various interventions have been implemented across the world to alleviate the effects of poverty and enhance school participation among these youngsters. The recipient children's school engagement comprises enrolling, attendance, and retention. The most popular and extensively implemented measure for increasing school participation is the provision of free school lunches. School meals assist to subsidise school expenditures and alleviate hunger in the classroom. These two issues are the primary causes of low school attendance and learning. The influence of school meals on elementary education and nutritional status, on the other hand, is currently being contested. The function of the Mid Day Meal (MDM) programme in enhancing elementary education and nutritional status in India will be investigated in this research project.

 Keywords:- Malnutrition, Mid-Day Meal, Primary Education, Nutritional Status, Hunger in the Classroom