The government plans to expand the mid-day meal program to 349 more upazilas at the primary level. Officials shared the update on Monday, April 13. The move aims to reduce student dropout, improve attendance, and support child nutrition.
Mohammad Harun Or Rashid, Project Director of the Government Primary School Feeding Program, confirmed the development. He said the project is already in progress, and work has advanced. “Last year, we launched the program in 150 upazilas. Now, it will expand to 349 more,” he said.
He added that the new phase will cover metropolitan areas, district towns, and village schools. This will bring a large number of primary students under the scheme.
The government first launched the program on November 15 last year. At that time, 3.113 million students in 19,419 government primary schools received food support. The items included fortified biscuits, bananas or seasonal fruits, buns, eggs, and UHT milk. Students received these foods five days a week.
However, some complaints emerged during the rollout. Reports from different areas mentioned poor-quality food, such as rotten bananas, spoiled eggs, and moldy bread.
Harun Or Rashid said authorities have taken action. “We have issued show-cause notices to contractors and given final warnings,” he said. A review committee has also been formed to examine the complaints.
The expansion is expected to increase school participation and improve child health. Officials said monitoring will continue as the project moves forward.
For the latest Education Updates, follow us or bookmark our website
