MK Stalin launches free breakfast scheme for primary government school students amid mixed reactions

He also shared food with the kids of Classes 1 to 5, feeding them and interacting with them.

The order for the scheme was issued in late July, amid an ongoing debate kicked up by the BJP at the Centre about states providing “freebies”.

A century-old demand

P Theagaraya Chetty, the then-mayor of the Madras Corporation and a veteran Justice Party leader, rolled out the noon meal scheme in government schools in 1922.

Since then, the state hasn’t had a breakfast scheme for government school students, which is essential and a part of the Right to Education, education rights activist Prince Gajendra Babu told South First.

“Tamil Nadu has a history of serving noon meals, which was rolled out in 1922. It took 100 years for the government to introduce a free breakfast scheme. For these many years, many children in government schools came hungry. Even though it is a welcome move, why did it take these many years for the government to implement the scheme? Was the DMK not in power before?” he asked.

Unlike the mid-day meal scheme implemented in government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu, which is cooked in the respective schools, the meals for this scheme are cooked in centralised kitchens, and transported to the schools by vehicles to be served there.

Babu, however, had a different point to make. He said, “Nutritious food is a component of the Right to Education, and the state government should provide that through the workers who cook food in the schools instead bring it packed from somewhere.”

Under the free breakfast scheme, the school should provide any snacks listed by the government on working days. The government has also directed the schools to provide food based on small grains.

The state government sanctioned ₹33.56 crore for the scheme in the first phase. However, depending on the scheme’s benefit, the government plans to expand it.

What about students of government-aided schools? 

While Stalin said the importance of breakfast in schools had grown after the Covid-19 pandemic, and was happy to see students get that, education rights activists asked why the government left out students of government-aided schools from the scheme.

Babu told South First that the DMK government had done injustice to the government-aided school students by not providing them breakfast.

“What authentic document did the government go through to leave them out of the scheme?” he asked.

He also said that many poor Tamil Medium and government-aided school students come to school hungry.

A welcome move 

Despite the criticism, many government school teachers welcomed the move as it helps students stay back in school and benefits them.

A group of government school principals from the rural part of Tamil Nadu told South First: “The scheme, while helping students come to schools, would also bring a change in society and their life. It will help change their future.”

They also said it would bring down the dropout rate in schools.

The government plans to cover 417 schools in municipal corporations, 163 schools in municipalities, 728 schools in village panchayats, and 237 schools in interior villages and hilly areas under the scheme at the cost of ₹34 crore in the first phase.

The menu includes upma, khichdi, and Pongal varieties. And the students will be given a sweet rava or semiya kesari breakfast by the school on all Fridays.