Midday meal scheme becoming effective: WFP study

Lalitpur – School midday meal scheme launched across the country in a bid to attract students and discourage dropout is bearing fruits, according to a study. 

Educational quality of children is found to be increasing, their health improving and children enrolment rate increasing, said the analysis carried out by the World Food Programme (WFP) and mastercard in collaboration with the Government of Nepal with help from the United States Department of Agriculture. 

This programme is being implemented under two modalities—food transfers are implemented in 10 districts, while cash transfers in 19 districts. Currently the programme provides a daily, nutritious meal for up to 600,000 children across 29 of the 77 districts in Nepal. 

Addressing a programme organised here today by the WHO to discuss the analysis of the programme, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Khagraj Baral said the programme is becoming effective and would be expanded to all 77 districts. 

Programme Director, Food for Education Project, Vishnu Adhikari said that efforts were underway to run midday meal scheme through one door system. 

On the occasion, Pippa Bradford, WFP Representative and Country Director in Nepal and Baburam Poudel, Director General for the Department of Education among others highlighted the effectiveness of the programme. 
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