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The mid-day meals offered to college students in authorities or aided colleges must be supplemented by breakfast, the brand new National Education Policy (NEP) has proposed. The coverage which was permitted by the Union Cabinet earlier this week has famous that morning hours after a nutritious breakfast may be notably productive for the examine of cognitively extra demanding topics and therefore really helpful enlargement of the mid-day meal scheme to incorporate provisions for breakfast in colleges.
“Children are unable to learn optimally when they are undernourished or unwell. Hence, the nutrition and health (including mental health) of children will be addressed, through healthy meals and the introduction of well-trained social workers, counsellors, and community involvement into the schooling system,” the coverage mentioned.
“Furthermore, research shows that the morning hours after a nutritious breakfast can be particularly productive for the study of cognitively more demanding subjects and hence these hours may be leveraged by providing a simple but energizing breakfast in addition to mid-day meals,” it added.
In areas the place scorching meals are usually not doable, a easy however nutritious meal– groundnuts or chana combined with jaggery and native fruits could also be offered. “All school children shall undergo regular health check-ups especially for 100 pc immunization in schools and health cards will be issued to monitor the same,” the coverage mentioned.
The revised coverage has proposed that previous to the age of 5 each youngster will transfer to a “preparatory class” or “balavatika”.
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“The learning in the preparatory class shall be based primarily on play-based learning with a focus on developing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities and early literacy and numeracy. The mid-day meal programme shall also be extended to the preparatory Classes in primary schools. “Health check-ups and growth monitoring that are available in the anganwadi system shall also be made available to preparatory Class students of anganwadi as well as of primary schools,” the coverage doc mentioned.
The National Programme of Mid-Day Meal in Schools, popularly often called the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), is an on-going centrally-sponsored scheme which covers all school children learning in Classes 1 to eight of presidency, government-aided colleges, particular coaching centres together with ‘Madarsas’ supported below ‘Samagra Shiksha’.
“As per the provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013, children studying in classes 1 to 8 or within the age group of 6-14 years are entitled to one mid day meal free of charge, every day except on school holidays, in all schools run by local bodies, government and government aided schools so as to meet nutritional standards specified in the Act,” a senior HRD Ministry official mentioned.
“However, some States and Union Territories provide additional items such as milk, egg and fruits to students from their own resources,” the official added.
At least 11.59 crore elementary school college students are beneficiaries below the mid-day meal scheme of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, whereas almost 26 lakh cook-cum helpers are employed for the identical.
The Ministry additionally suggested states throughout lockdown to supply mid-day meals or meals safety allowance to college students until colleges are closed as a result of novel coronavirus outbreak.
The NEP replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986 and is geared toward paving the best way for transformational reforms in school and better schooling programs to make India a worldwide data superpower.
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