Necessity of Nutrition for Children to have better Education
A malnourished child is more likely to miss school because of his health, no doubt, but nutrition and education go hand-in-hand in ways more than one can imagine.
A malnourished child is more likely to miss school because of his health, no doubt, but nutrition and education go hand-in-hand in ways more than one can imagine.
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<strong>Necessity</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nutrition</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />
<strong>Children</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>have</strong> <strong>better</strong><br />
<strong>Education</strong><br />
A malnourished child is more likely <strong>to</strong> miss school because <strong>of</strong><br />
his health, no doubt, but nutrition and education go hand-inhand<br />
in ways more than one can imagine.<br />
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The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Hunger is a social evil. It may not necessarily <strong>for</strong>ce someone <strong>to</strong> do something evil, but it will definitely not<br />
allow him <strong>to</strong> concentrate on the task at hand, and concentration, as we all know, is <strong>of</strong> immense importance<br />
when the task at hand is ‘learning’. So how do children cope with this evil? It will be naïve <strong>to</strong> think they do.<br />
If a child skips his breakfast, he will not be able <strong>to</strong> concentrate on learning because <strong>of</strong> hunger, and as a<br />
result, his per<strong>for</strong>mance will go down. Now skipping the breakfast or any meal is one thing; not af<strong>for</strong>ding one<br />
is another. <strong>Children</strong> from poor families fall in<strong>to</strong> the latter category. They can’t even af<strong>for</strong>d a meal at times,<br />
leave alone a nutritious meal. How then, will they concentrate on educational activities?<br />
Iodine deficiency alone can result in reduced cognitive functions; imagine the damage hunger can do <strong>to</strong> a<br />
child’s learning abilities.<br />
It’s also important <strong>to</strong> understand that under-nutrition doesn’t just affect the child’s health but also<br />
jeopardizes his future. A poor diet in childhood results in below par per<strong>for</strong>mance in academics, which, in<br />
turn, results in fewer job opportunities. As a result, he is not able <strong>to</strong> achieve much pr<strong>of</strong>essionally and his<br />
children are also subjected <strong>to</strong> a poor diet, starting the vicious cycle all over again.<br />
The Akshaya Patra Foundation<br />
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In order <strong>to</strong> address hunger and problems related <strong>to</strong> it—in the education sec<strong>to</strong>r in particular, we need concrete<br />
solutions. The Government <strong>of</strong> India has identified the problem and implemented the Mid-day Meal Scheme<br />
(MDMS), a school lunch programme, <strong>to</strong> tackle it. That it is widely considered one <strong>of</strong> the best school feeding<br />
programmes in the world shouldn’t come as a surprise as it reaches out <strong>to</strong> over 120 million children.<br />
As the mid-day meal programme intends <strong>to</strong> improve the nutritional status <strong>of</strong> children, strict nutritional<br />
guidelines <strong>have</strong> been laid with respect <strong>to</strong> its implementation. While students from class I <strong>to</strong> V are entitled <strong>to</strong><br />
receive 450 calories and 12 gm protein from their meal, children from class VI <strong>to</strong> VIII are entitled <strong>to</strong> receive<br />
700 calories and 20 gm protein.<br />
School feeding programmes don’t just help in improving the nutritional health <strong>of</strong> children but also provide an<br />
incentive <strong>for</strong> them <strong>to</strong> come <strong>to</strong> school and more importantly, <strong>for</strong> the parents <strong>to</strong> send their children <strong>to</strong> school.<br />
The mid-day lunch provided in schools is also important because at times, this is the only meal these children<br />
<strong>have</strong> throughout the day. The MDMS covers government and government-aided schools. Many children<br />
studying in these schools come from families who can’t af<strong>for</strong>d a nutritious meal. For these children, the school<br />
lunch programme comes as a blessing in disguise.<br />
The Akshaya Patra Foundation<br />
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Additionally, it helps in improving enrolment in schools and reducing the drop-out rate, as many people, who<br />
would otherwise <strong>for</strong>ce their children <strong>to</strong> leave school and work <strong>to</strong> support the family, allow them <strong>to</strong> continue<br />
studying. Even those who <strong>for</strong>ce their girl child <strong>to</strong> drop out <strong>of</strong> school and work in kitchen as they believe it will<br />
help them after marriage, are now allowing them <strong>to</strong> continue schooling.<br />
Then there are the positive effects on attendance. It is highly unlikely that a healthy child will miss the school<br />
because <strong>of</strong> illness. In contrast, a malnourished child is more likely <strong>to</strong> be absent on regular basis because <strong>of</strong><br />
some underlying health condition.<br />
There is no dearth <strong>of</strong> independent studies supporting the fact that the MDMS has been successful in providing<br />
necessary nutrition <strong>to</strong> children, reducing drop-out rate, improved attendance, and more importantly, helped<br />
children excel in school. The need <strong>of</strong> the hour there<strong>for</strong>e, is <strong>to</strong> work on reaching every corner <strong>of</strong> the country <strong>to</strong><br />
ensure that no child goes <strong>to</strong> bed hungry or misses out on education because <strong>of</strong> hunger.<br />
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The Akshaya Patra Foundation<br />
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