Distribution of rice for school meal program gets underway

The distribution of 735 metric tons of rice, provided by the World Food Program (WFP) for  the 2024 school meal program commenced today, (19) at the Veyangoda warehouse complex.

M.H.A.M. Riflan, Director General for the Partnership Secretariat for World Food Programme Co-operation (PSWFPC), under whose purview the distribution took place said that 378.835 metric tons of Lentils, 412.08 metric tons of Sunflower cooking oil, and 300 metric tons of Dates will also be distributed to schools following the start of the new school term on May 19.

Under the programme themed  ‘Healthy Active Generation’ ,the Ministry of Education has implemented measures to provide a meal at school,  for all students in grades 1-5 across the country. Following nutritionists’ recommendations, students will receive breakfast between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. daily before engaging in educational activities

The school feeding program for this year extends its benefits to 1.6 million students, including primary students from 9,134 government schools, as well as smaller schools with fewer than 100 students. A budget of Rs. 16.6 billion has been allocated to the nine provincial councils by the government, supplemented by sponsorship from entities such as the World Food Program (WFP) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

(PMD)