Every year, International school dinner day The second Thursday of March is celebrated, which focuses on the importance of proportional school eating in promoting children’s health, fitness and learning.
This is especially important in Pakistan, where 26 million children between the ages of five and 16 are out of school, who are assisting in the global crisis of 251 million children worldwide without access to education. Worldwide, poverty, food insecurity, barriers to school infrastructure, including classrooms, supply, water, and cleaning, prevent children from studying.
Even among the admission, many children go to classes without breakfast, hindering their ability to focus, learn and develop. The schooling program implemented in Pakistan’s public schools can be a solution to a change, which encourages the poorest families to send their children, especially daughters to school. Once in the classroom, school food ensures that the kids are well happy and willing to learn.
School dining programs are a multi -faceted game changer that improves children’s education, health and nutrition. On a more widespread, they support the entire community by providing an important safety net, and strengthening food systems and economies.
School food is a priority for a strategic investment.
Global evidence suggests that schooling food production is from $ 7 to 35 in every dollar. Studies show that these schools of food can be effective in strengthening gender equality by improving nutrition and health, improving education results, eliminating poverty and leaving school in girls.
The global pace is rising. Alliance of school foodA network of 100 governments and more than 130 partners, is supporting countries so that by 2030 all children can access nutritious foods.
Governments in Benin, Brazil, France, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Sierra Leone and Tajikistan are leading pressure to increase school supply. As part of these efforts, Brazil will host the next World School Food Allied Meeting this September to share the best ways and take further drive. A few months ago, the steps announced before the summit of the G20 leaders were as follows:
– Indonesia was included in January 2025 to launch its free nutrition -rich food program, one of the biggest school food measures, which reached 78 million schoolchildren by 2029.
– The Philippines to double their investment to increase their school food program from 120 days to a full academic year, with a pilot rollout to feed Universal, reach more than 3 million students and provide more than 360 million foods.
– Nigeria has to re -launch its renewed national home -growing schools, in which 20 million children are fed annually. Launch school farms that will contribute 10 % of the food items to feed schools, add 250,000 small holders and collectors to feed in schools, and improve school attendance and reduce children out of school by 2026.
Pakistan has been pace since 2021, when the government of Pakistan pledged to integrate school food into national education and social security projects, ending the global school meal alliance.
Last year, when Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced the emergency of education, “Education is not a cost, it is the most lucrative investment”, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training also launched a school dining program, which has 55,000 school children from 207 schools at the federal level.
Meanwhile, the World Food Program contributed with the Balochistan Education Department to start a school dinner program, and in the first four months, more than 13,000 children reached 39 schools. This year, the move will spread to 20,000 children in 65 schools. The launch of school dining programs, scale and maintaining methods continues in other provinces.
Pakistan has a valuable opportunity to develop a similar framework, with many Asian countries recently set up national legislation at school dinner. A strong legal basis can ensure sustainable support and dedicated funding, eventually benefiting students from the poorest families across the country.
Since Pakistan is likely to become the third most populous country in the world by 2050, investment in human capital development through education, health and nutrition is more important than ever. To ensure that children will receive food at school not only will improve their health but also the results of their learning will be promoted, and will pave the way for a healthy and more prosperous future for the next generation.
Author is the Country Director and Representative World Food Program.
Dawn, appeared on March 15, 2025
