Mid-Day Meal: A Scheme for Universal and Nutritious Education

India is home to the largest number of children in the world, with more than 400 million children under the age of 18. However, many of these children face the challenges of hunger, malnutrition, and low school attendance, which affect their health, learning, and development. To address these issues, the Government of India launched the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) in 2001, which aims to provide free and nutritious meals to school children across the country. The scheme has been renamed as PM POSHAN (Poshan Shakti Nirman) Scheme in 2021.

In this blog, we will discuss the introduction, objectives, functions, challenges, present situation, limitations, and conclusion of MDMS.

Introduction

MDMS is one of the largest school meal programmes in the world, covering 120 million children in over 1.27 million schools and Education Guarantee Scheme centres. The scheme is based on the constitutional right to free and compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 14, as well as the right to food and nutrition.

The scheme provides cooked meals on working days to children in government primary and upper primary schools, government-aided Anganwadis, Madarsa and Maqtabs. The meals are prepared and served by local cooks, self-help groups, or external agencies, depending on the model adopted by the state or union territory. The meals include cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits, and meet the prescribed nutritional standards.

The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the state and union territory governments, and other stakeholders such as the Food Corporation of India, the Department of Food and Public Distribution, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Objectives

The main objectives of MDMS are as follows:

To provide free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years.
To ensure that every child has access to quality elementary education.
To reduce gender and social disparities in education and ensure equal opportunities for all.
To improve the quality of education by providing adequate infrastructure and facilities in schools, promoting the use of innovative teaching methods and enhancing the skills and training of teachers.
To address the issue of out-of-school children by identifying and enrolling them in schools.
To encourage the active involvement of parents, local communities, and stakeholders in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of education programmes.
To provide a holistic education that promotes the all-round development of children.
To establish a robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism to assess the progress and impact of various initiatives under MDMS.

Functions

The main functions of MDMS include:

Ensuring social justice by providing basic education to the children.
Responding to the demand for improving the standards of education.
Making the environment conducive and accessible for attaining basic education.
Elevating India’s literacy rates through the universalization of elementary education.

Challenges

Despite the achievements and progress of MDMS, there are still some challenges and issues that need to be addressed. Some of these challenges are:
The quality of education is still low in many schools, especially in rural and remote areas. There is a lack of adequate infrastructure, facilities, resources, and trained teachers. The curriculum and pedagogy are not aligned with the needs and interests of the learners. The learning outcomes and assessment are not satisfactory.
The enrolment and retention of children, especially girls, SCs, STs, and minorities, are still low in some regions and states. There are still many out-of-school children who face barriers such as poverty, social norms, discrimination, migration, and disability. There is a need to provide more incentives and support to these children and their families.
The participation and involvement of parents, local communities, and stakeholders are still weak in some areas. There is a lack of awareness, ownership, and accountability among them. There is a need to strengthen the capacity and role of the School Management Committees (SMCs), Village Education Committees (VECs), and other local bodies.
The coordination and convergence of different ministries, departments, schemes, and programmes are still inadequate. There is a need to harmonize and integrate the policies, plans, and budgets of various sectors and levels of governance. There is also a need to ensure the timely and efficient flow of funds and resources to the implementing agencies.

Present Situation

According to the latest data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2019-20, the following are some of the key indicators of the present situation of MDMS:

The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the primary level is 101.77%, and at the upper primary level is 97.08%.
The Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) at the primary level is 87.71%, and at the upper primary level is 76.41%.
The Dropout Rate at the primary level is 1.85%, and at the upper primary level is 3.77%.
The Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) at the primary level is 23.4, and at the upper primary level is 17.4.
The percentage of schools with electricity is 79.7%, with drinking water facility is 94.6%, with separate toilets for girls is 95.8%, and with ramps for disabled children is 69.4%.

Limitations

While MDMS has made significant contributions to the universalization of elementary education, it also has some limitations and drawbacks. Some of these limitations are:

MDMS is a centrally sponsored scheme, which means that the central government provides most of the funds and guidelines, while the state governments implement and monitor the programme. This may create some issues of autonomy, flexibility, and accountability at the state and local levels. There may also be some gaps and delays in the fund flow and utilization.
MDMS is a time-bound programme, which means that it has a fixed duration and targets. This may create some pressure and challenges for the implementing agencies to achieve the desired outcomes within the stipulated time. It may also affect the sustainability and continuity of the programme after its completion.
MDMS is a programme-based approach, which means that it focuses on specific interventions and activities to achieve the objectives. This may create some problems of integration, coherence, and comprehensiveness of the education system. It may also neglect some aspects of education that are not covered by the programme, such as pre-school education, secondary education, vocational education, and adult education.

Conclusion

MDMS is a visionary and ambitious programme that aims to transform the elementary education scenario in India. It has achieved remarkable results and impacts in terms of access, retention, quality, and equity in education. It has also faced some challenges and issues that need to be addressed and resolved. It has some limitations and drawbacks that need to be overcome and improved. MDMS is a dynamic and evolving programme that needs to adapt and respond to the changing needs and demands of the society and the learners. It is a collective and collaborative effort that requires the support and participation of all the stakeholders and partners. MDMS is a programme that has the potential to make a difference in the lives of millions of children and the future of the nation.

Mid Day Meal: A Scheme for Universal and Nutritious Education