The midday meal programme for government primary schools is set to restart in early October across 150 upazilas, Primary and Mass Education Adviser Prof Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar announced on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat on the occasion of International Literacy Day, he confirmed that preparations are complete to resume the initiative, which was originally scheduled for January.
“The midday meal programme is going ahead. We expect to begin in 150 upazilas by late September or early October,” he said.
Explaining the delay, the adviser noted that the Development Project Proposal had initially been prepared using earlier Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data. However, after the proposal was submitted to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, new poverty figures were released, requiring adjustments and a resubmission. “This process took some time, but now the project is back on track,” he added.
Procurement and training have already begun, with the planned menu to include five food items such as eggs, seasonal fruits, biscuits and milk.
Addressing questions on weekly holidays, Prof Poddar said the two-day weekend for primary schools would remain unchanged. Instead, efforts are underway to reduce other holidays in order to expand teaching hours.
“Students currently attend school around 180 days a year, which is insufficient. We are reviewing the academic calendar with the Ministry of Education to cut unnecessary breaks,” he said.
The adviser emphasised that increasing classroom contact time between teachers and students was essential to strengthening literacy at the primary level.
He also pointed out that reducing weekly holidays would affect all educational institutions equally and carry financial implications for the government, making it unfeasible at present.
