Children in Tamakosi Rural Municipality, Charikot, Dolakha Struggle to Receive Mid-day Meals
The government of Nepal has allocated funds to provide nutritious mid-day meals to children studying in public schools. However, children in Tamakosi Rural Municipality have not received the mid-day meal amount even after eight months of instruction.
Missing mid-day meals:
Despite the government's instruction, students from Kindergarten to Class 6 in government schools within Tamakosi Rural Municipality have not received mid-day meals for the past eight months. The principal of the school has complained about this issue.
Delayed lunch money:
The government sent money for lunch to the children studying in community schools at a rate of 15 rupees per day. However, even after eight months, the children have not received the money. This delay has caused problems for parents who used to send lunch to school with the money provided.
More than 1,500 students:
More than 1,500 students studying in public schools within Tamakosi Rural Municipality have received money for lunch, which has not been distributed yet. The school authorities believe that the lunch program will help children come to school regularly.
Importance of nutrition:
Food is an essential element for children's growth and development. A healthy life begins with eating nutritious food. The government of Nepal has been allocating funds for the mid-day meal program from early childhood development to class 5 to provide nutritious lunch to children who come to school.
Municipality's delay:
The municipality has not disbursed the money for mid-day meals for eight months. The government implemented the mid-day meal program to attract students to schools. However, in practice, most of the school students give money for lunch instead of lunch. Cash is also distributed to parents instead of lunch.
Reason for delay:
According to Menuka Baskota, the head of the education branch of Tamakosi Rural Municipality, the money for lunch was not released because there was no chief administrative officer. He said that the release of funds will happen after the new administrative officer arrives in the village.
Overall, The delay in providing mid-day meals to children in Tamakosi Rural Municipality has caused inconvenience to parents and affected students' attendance. It is essential to prioritize the release of funds for the mid-day meal program to provide nutritious meals to children and encourage them to attend school regularly.
Dolakha