School Nutrition Program to continue uninterrupted: Presidential Secretary

Friday, 25 April 2025 04:33 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Initiative aims at combating anemia among schoolchildren
Supported by World Food Program, with collaboration from multiple Ministries and global partners
Govt. allocates Rs. 32 b for program for 2025

Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake on Wednesday announced that the Government has made a firm policy commitment to continue the “School Nutrition Program” without interruption.

The initiative, aimed at combating Anemia among schoolchildren, is being implemented with the support of the World Food Program.

Dr. Kumanayake made these remarks during a meeting at the Presidential Secretariat with representatives from key Ministries, State institutions, the World Food Programme, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Pathfinder Foundation.

The school meal program, aligned with the Government’s initiative to provide nutritious lunch to primary school students in districts identified as having high levels of malnutrition, specifically targets the reduction of iron deficiency among schoolchildren.

The initiative is jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Provincial Councils, the Food Promotion Board and the Partnership Secretariat for the World Food Program Cooperation.

The Government has allocated Rs. 32 billion for this program for the current year.

A pilot project is currently being implemented in four selected districts. Based on a formal health and nutrition study assessing the outcomes of this pilot project, there are plans to expand the program countrywide. The study aims to determine the extent to which iron deficiency among schoolchildren can be reduced through this initiative.

As part of the program, fortified rice enriched with iron and folic acid will be included in the school meals to specifically address anemia among students.

The World Food Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gateway Foundation and the Pathfinder Foundation have pledged their continued support for this effort.

Present at the occasion were Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media Dr. Anil Jasinghe, and Secretary to the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Malarmathy Gangatharan, along with other government officials and representatives from partner organisations.

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