Nutrition During School Age (6-12 Years): School Lunch Programmes

Nutrition During School Age (6-12 Years)

The school age, six to twelve years, is a latent period of growth. During this stage growth is slow and body changes occur gradually. The nutritional requirement is the same for boys and girls upto nine years after which girls out do boys and there is a change in some of the nutrient requirements for boys and girls.

SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAMMES

Increasing urbanization and number of working mothers have made school days longer. Improper and hurried meals at home have become a routine. Whereas among rural population, young children are sent for work to earn a living and the drop out rate is higher in children at primary and secondary school level. These factors have created a necessity to provide lunch at schools which will provide nutritious food to children and also reduce the dropout rate.

The school lunch programmes operate with the following objectives

To

1.     provide food to the undernourished child and improve the nutritional status.

2.     increase school enrolment and attendance.

3.     inculcate good food habits.

4.     incorporate nutrition education as part of the curriculum.

5.     improve the educational performance of the students.

6.     encourage use of locally available nutritious foods.

7.     encourage community participation in the feeding programmes.

The two major nutrition intervention programmes currently in operation for the population below poverty line in Tamil Nadu are Nutritious Noon Meal Programme of the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) sponsored by the ministry of social welfare, Government of India.