School meals programme expanded to include 1.5 Mn students

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved two significant welfare programmes aimed at supporting the educational and nutritional needs of schoolchildren, student monks, lay students of Pirivena and Seela Matha for 2025, Government Information Department sources said.

The Education Ministry under the Prime Minister has announced the continuation of a programme to provide school shoes to selected students.

This initiative, launched in 2015, has included student monks and lay students of selected Piriven and Seela Matha since 2020.

For 2025, the programme will distribute gift vouchers worth Rs.3,000 to eligible students to purchase a pair of shoes. Beneficiaries of the programme include: 650,000 students from 6,000 schools with fewer than 250 students,140,000 students from estate schools that fall outside the small-school category, 2,300 students with special needs from 28 schools and 30,000 student monks and lay students from selected Piriven and Seela Matha.

The programme will be overseen by an appointed committee of officers to ensure its smooth implementation. The Cabinet also approved the continuation of the “School Food Programme” to ensure that schoolchildren have access to nutritious meals. Currently serving 1.4 million students in 8,956 schools across 100 education zones, the programme benefits students in grades 1-5 of public schools, schools with fewer than 100 students, special education units or schools, and lay students in selected Piriven.

For 2025, the programme aims to expand its reach, with a budget allocation to cover a maximum of 1.5 million students. The initiative underscores the government’s commitment to addressing childhood nutrition and enhancing the well-being of students.

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