No suspension of school meal programme, confirms Education Ministry secretary

Colombo, October 9 (Daily Mirror) - Despite ongoing discussions on social media over suspending the Education Ministry's programme to provide a main meal to all students in Grades 1 through 5, Education Ministry Secretary J.M. Thilaka Jayasundara said that no such decision has been taken.

The programme was launched by the Ministry since 2023 and the Ministry had increased the number of schools and the number of children who are the beneficiaries.

She further said that to improve the quality of the meals, the budget per meal for each child has been increased. Therefore, no actions have been taken to halt the programme. The necessary funds have already been allocated to the relevant provinces.

However, some areas in the Western Province experienced delays in providing meals due to a temporary delay in funding for suppliers. Despite this, all suppliers have now been fully funded by the Education Ministry through the Provincial Divisions.