March 06, Colombo (LNW): The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to Education Minister Susil Premajayantha’s proposal to raise the budget for a student’s meal in the ‘School Food Programme’ to Rs. 110. Furthermore, the program is set to be extended to cover 170 days in 2024, specifically targeting students in the primary sections.
The ‘School Food Programme’ currently operates in 7,902 schools across 100 educational zones, benefiting approximately 1.08 million students. The allocated budget for a daily meal for one student is Rs. 85.
A committee of officers investigating the matter has reported that the increased budget to Rs. 110 is necessary due to price fluctuations affecting the cost of providing a nutritious meal for a child. In response to this, the Save the Children organization has pledged support by providing three food items to 200,000 students in 917 selected schools under the ‘School Food Programme’ for the year 2024.
