Breakfast scheme brings 13 per cent more children to Schools in Telangana

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government’s free breakfast programme has been associated with a 13% increase in student enrolment and a 20–22% rise in attendance across 60 government schools, according to an evaluation by Third Vision Research & Services.

The report, based on a survey of 575 parents, 1,153 students and 176 teachers and headmasters, covered 30 primary schools and 30 high schools. It recorded an increase of 1,525 students over the previous academic year, comprising 882 boys and 643 girls.

The programme, implemented by the Hare Krishna Movement (HKM) Charitable Foundation through its centralised kitchen in Kodangal, provides breakfast and milk to government school students. The evaluation found that 92.8% of parents and 89.2% of teachers reported improved student attendance.

While 99.9% of surveyed students said they ate the breakfast served at school, all respondents reported receiving milk on alternate days. Only 86.4% said they attended school every day.

The report also highlighted perceived improvements in students’ well-being. As many as 98.3% of teachers reported fewer complaints of hunger, while 89.2% observed a reduction in mid-morning health problems and 88.1% said students appeared more energetic. Further, 81.2% reported improvements in academic performance, 77.3% in discipline and 76.1% in concentration.

Parents largely welcomed the programme, with 95.7% rating the breakfast good or very good. Nearly 96.2% said they would recommend their government school.

However, the evaluation identified food quality, taste and consistency as areas requiring attention. While 91.3% of students rated the taste good or better, the corresponding figure among teachers was 76.5%. Similarly, 76.7% of teachers gave a favourable rating to the quantity served. Food quality accounted for 43.6% of teachers’ mentions of areas needing improvement, followed by infrastructure concerns, including plates, serving areas, at 33.1%. Quantity accounted for 9.6% of mentions, while staff shortages made up 6.5%.

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