Dhaka: State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj announced today that the ‘School Meal’ programme will be expanded in phases to encompass all government primary schools nationwide, ensuring that students receive nutritious food. This decision aims to fulfill the government’s primary objective of providing nutrition to every primary school student. The announcement came during a courtesy visit from World Food Programme (WFP) Bangladesh Country Director and Representative, Ms. Coco H. Ushiyama, at Hajjaj’s office at the Secretariat.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, during their meeting, the expansion of the school meal programme, the possibility of introducing cooked hot meals on a pilot basis, effective monitoring, and strengthening digital management were key points of discussion. Hajjaj emphasized that transparency, accountability, and a technology-based monitoring system are essential for the programme’s successful implementation.
The dialogue also touched on the experiences of India’s school meal programme and its relevance to Bangladesh’s context. Hajjaj highlighted the need for separate, need-based plans that consider urban and rural differences, geographical diversity, and varying socio-economic conditions across the country.
Ushiyama noted that the school meal programme not only enhances students’ nutrition but also boosts school attendance, reduces dropouts, improves education quality, and promotes healthy eating habits. She mentioned that WFP has seen positive outcomes in other countries by integrating school meal programmes with school gardens, nutrition education, and local agricultural systems.
The meeting also addressed the enhancement of the existing Integrated Primary Education Information Management System of the Directorate of Primary Education, with WFP offering technical support for future development of an integrated information management system. Both parties agreed on the need to improve the efficacy of the school meal programme. Senior officials from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and WFP attended the meeting.