Midday meal scheme makes a comeback in junior colleges

Tirupati : To improve student attendance and curbing dropouts, the state government has reinstated the midday meal scheme for students of government junior colleges (GJCs). The announcement came from Minister for Human Resources Nara Lokesh earlier this month and the Directorate of Intermediate Education is expected to launch it next week.

The midday meal scheme was first introduced by the previous TDP government in 2018 to address the needs of students from economically weaker sections, who often leave school to supplement their fami-ly income. The programme proved successful in encouraging SSC-passed students to enroll and stay in government junior colleges.

However, the scheme was discontinued when the YSRCP took power, replacing it with the Amma Vodi scheme. The replacement programme failed to achieve the intended results and enrolment in GJCs steadily declined.

During his Yuva Galam padayatra, minister Lokesh promised to reinstate the midday meal scheme, and upon assuming office, he promptly directed officials to prepare for its reimplementation. The decision appears to have already had a positive impact, with admissions seeing a noticeable rise this academic year.

Currently, around 1.32 lakh students across 450 junior co lleges in the state are set to benefit from the scheme. This includes approximately 60,000 second-year students and 72,000 first-year students. In Tirupati district alone, 2,690 first-year students and 2,556 second-year students are expected to bene-fit.

The Directorate of Intermediate Education has instructed all Regional Joint Directors (RJDs) and District Intermediate Education Officers (DIEOs) to ensure a smooth rollout of the scheme. Meals will be pre-pared in nearby high schools and transported to the junior colleges. In cases where transportation infra-structure is lacking, principals have been authorised to arrange local purchases of utensils and eating plates. Also, when high schools and GJCs are not in the same compound, Principals have to organise regular transportation of food via autos or rickshaws.

Speaking to The Hans India, president of the AP Government Junior Lecturers Association Vunnam Ravi praised the decision, noting that students who previously went home for lunch often did not return, resulting in missed classes. “The revival of this scheme will encourage students to stay in college for the entire day”, he said, expressing gratitude to Minister Lokesh and Director of Intermediate Education Krithika Shukla.

Bommasamudram Junior College principal B Sarath Chandra Sekhar, who also serves as the state presi-dent of Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), echoed this sentiment. He highlighted the scheme’s importance for students from weaker sections and confirmed that preparations for the programme launch are well underway.