3. MID DAY MEAL PROGRAM (MDMP)
INTRODUCTION
The program is otherwise known as school lunch
program
The school mid day meal program is in practice in
India since 1961
Part of national nutritional programs
4. • DEFINITION
The mid day meal scheme is a school meal
program of the government of India designed to
improve the nutritional status of school-age
children nationwide
5. HISTORY
Introduced in 1925 in Madras corporation by the
British administration
Introduced in the union territory of Puducherry by
French administration in 1930
Program was introduced in Tamil Nadu in 1960s
under the chief minister K.Kamaraj Nadar and in
1982 it decided to universalize the program for all
children in government schools in primary class
under the chief minister Dr. M.G.Ramachandran
Tamilnadu’s midday meal program is among the best
known in the country.
6. History contd…
• Kerala started providing cooked meals since 1995
and so did Madhya Pradesh and Orissa in some parts
• On November 28,2001 the supreme court of India
gave a landmark direction which made it obligatory
for government to provide cooked meals to all
children in all government and government assisted
primary schools
• Program became almost universal by 2005
7. TO Enhance Admission Of Children In The School
To enhance student’s attendance and retention
To improve literacy of the children
OBJECTIVES
8. PRINCIPLES OF MID DAY MEAL PROGRAM
The meal should be a supplement not a substitute to
the home diet
The meal should supply at least one-third of the total
energy requirement and half of the protein need
The cost of the meal should be reasonably low
The meal should be of that which can be easily
prepared
Made out of locally available foods to reduce the cost
Frequent changes in the menu to avoid monotony
9. Note
The mid day meal program became part of the
minimum needs program in the 5th five year plan
10. Mid Day Meal Scheme
Centrally sponsored scheme, the “National program of
Nutritional support to primary education (NP-NSPE)
was launched on 15th August 1995
It was initially implemented in 2408 blocks in the
country.
By 1997-98, this program was implemented in all over
the country
Initially it served only class I-V of government,
government aided and local body schools
In 2002 children studying in education guarantee school
(EGS) and alternative and innovative education (AIE)
centers were also covered
11. Key information
Central assistance under the scheme consisted of free
supply of food grains at 100 grams per child per school
day, and subsidy for transportation of food grains
The scheme was revised in 2004 to provide cooked
midday meal that would yield 300 calories and 8-12
grams of protein to all children studying in classes I-V
As per the revision made in October 2007, the scheme
was extended to cover children in upper primary (classes
VI to VIII) of educationally backward blocks (EBBs)
12. Purposes
To enhancing enrollment of children in the school
To enhance students’ attendance retention
To improve nutritional status of children
13. Objectives
Improving the nutritional status of children of
classes I-VIII studying in government, local body
and government aided schools, and EGS and AIE
centers
Encouraging poor children, belonging to
disadvantaged sections, to attend school more
regularly and help them concentrate on classroom
activities
Providing nutritional support to children of primary
stage in drought affected areas during summer
vacation
14.
15. Suggestions for preparation of nutritious meal
Food be stored in air tight containers
Use whole wheat or broken wheat
Rice should be par boiled or unpolished
Single dish meal with vegetable is advocated
Cereal pulse combination should be used
Sprouted pulses should be included
Wash the ingredients before cooking
Fermentation improves nutritive value.
16. Contd …
• Cooking must be done with lid to avoid wastage of
nutrients
• Over cooking should be avoided
• Avoid re heated oil
• Leafy top of carrot, radish should be used in cooking
• Use only iodized salt
17. Components Primary child Upper primary
child
Calories 450 700
Protein 12g 20g
Micronutrients Adequate quantities of micronutrients like iron,
folic acid and vitamin A
Table 1. Nutritive value of mid day meal scheme in school
18.
19.
20. Benefits of Mid Day meal scheme
Admissions in schools will be enhanced
Children attend school regularly
Facilitate healthy growth of children
Opportunity to impact various good habits in
children e.g handwashing
Fosters social equality
Helps to enhance gender equity
Facilitates cognitive, emotional and social
development of children
21. Role of community health nurse
Nurses play an important role in monitoring and
implementation of the scheme
Nurses can monitor the scheme on a daily roster basis
Nurses monitor the cleanliness in cooking and serving
places
Nurses assist in preparing the menu for meals
Nurses educate the staff about good cooking practices
and food hygiene
Nurses can educate the students regarding food habits
22. Summary
Mid day meal program also known as school lunch
program is in practice since 1961 with prime
objective to increase enrollment of students and
improve nutritional status of children
In 2005 program became universalized after
direction of supreme court of India in 2001
Centrally sponsored scheme, the “National program
of Nutritional support to primary education (NP-
NSPE) was launched on 15th August 1995
23. The meal provided is as supplement not the
substitute to home diet and is prepared at school
from locally available resources with changing menu
The program was first introduced to primary school
and later on scope was extended upto 8th class
Objectives are to improve enrollment, reduce
dropouts and improve nutritional status of children
Meals are provided through out the year including
summer vacations
24. Conclusion
To conclude let me remind you that in this topic we
discussed regarding definition, history, objectives
and principles of mid day meal program. Further we
discussed about mid day meal scheme, its purposes,
objectives and benefits. Lastly we discussed about
nurses role in this program
25. Bibliography
Manivannan D shyamala Textbook of community
health nursing-II
Micheal jeba ansari Textbook of community health
nursing
