Rural school earns prestigious award for successful meal programme!

Gannoruwa Junior School 

Gannoruwa Junior School, situated in the Central Province, has gained recognition for its commitment to its school meal programme. Here a parent is seen handing over packed lunch boxes to children awaiting their meals

Nestled within one of Sri Lanka’s rural communities, Gannoruwa Junior School has emerged as a leader in nutrition, for earning the prestigious ‘Hero Story’ award in October. The award scheme was organised for Asian Countries by Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

According to the School Census report by the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka’s rural schools cater to a significant portion of the student population, with over 74% of children nationwide attending schools in ‘Pradeshiya Sabha’ areas. 

Gannoruwa Junior School, situated in the Central Province, has gained recognition for its commitment to its school meal programme. Despite being in the close proximity to a prominent institution, this school remained underappreciated until recently. Its efforts to provide students with healthy, locally sourced meals have made it stand out as an example of how smaller, lesser-known schools can lead in fostering student health and wellness.

The school was established in 1956. People sold sacks of rice and collected money to build the school, which was once called ‘Miti Hal Pasala’ (Rice Sack School). “20% of students are from average-income families. Around 65% of the students come from low-income families and 15% of the parents are government servants,” explained Deepa Rathnawali, Principal of Gannoruwa Junior School. It was noted by Rathnawali that approximately 3% of the students have mothers working overseas as housemaids. Many of these students struggle to enjoy three meals a day, leading to irregular school attendance and a decline in academic performance. Additionally, around 15% of the students’ experience malnutrition, with iron and vitamin deficiencies being the most common.

The Meal Programme was initiated in 2004. According to Rathnawali, it was funded by the government. Together with WFP, the government is now issuing Rs.110 per plate. In addition to the meals, they also provide the students with nutritious desserts like fruits. Parents have offered support for the programme as they begin cooking around 3.00 am. The programme was initially implemented to the primary classes careering to around 80 students. The programme is now catering to 400 primary students and offering a healthy breakfast. 

A parent would provide a child’s meal with the help of the fund insured by the government. As per the guidelines in the circular, one supplier is permitted to prepare food for 100 students. Consequently, four parents are now involved in the programme. Most parents benefit from the ‘Aswasuma’ funds, with Samurdhi officers, the Public Health Inspector (PHI), and the Zonal Education Office regularly monitoring the meal preparation process.

How it started

Global Gathering, an international meeting, organised by SUN and WFP will be held in Rwanda on November 14. In the Asian region, efforts have been focused on sharing success stories related to providing nutritious meals. As part of this initiative, the SUN movement has requested involvement from the Presidential Secretariat, selecting North, North Central and Central provinces for the purpose of collecting data. 

Information was initially gathered from the Ministry of Health (MOH), as data from the ‘Hela Bojun’ programme was insufficient. “Prompting a shift to the ‘School Meal Programme,’ zonal officers gathered data from local schools, and our school belongs to the Denuwara zone, which brought us this news,” shared Rathnawali.

Initial challenges 

Rathnawali explained that the school faced challenges during the initiation of the meal programme. “The school didn’t have a kitchen. The school managed to build a kitchen managing the space at the rear end of a classroom,” she said. She added that currently they have a separate place for cooking and every procedure meets hygienic conditions. She took this opportunity to thank the former principals for their services rendered throughout the past years. 

“Another challenge was managing kitchen waste. With limited land space and irregular visits from the Municipal Council janitorial service, we needed an alternative disposal solution. This led to the creation of a compost bin, enabling productive waste management,” she said. 

She mentioned that with the outbreak of COVID-19, prices of ingredients rose and the suppliers had hesitated to provide meals. The committee encouraged the suppliers to use locally found vegetables and fruits more, empowering the local community. This is the same strategy that was implemented when the vegetable prices skyrocketed. 

“There were challenges because of expectations of higher profits and the hesitance to buy quality ingredients as they were expensive. Encouraging suppliers to prioritise quality over profit helped improve the standard of meals. Sometimes, there were challenges faced when upgrading of the quality of the meals,” reminisced Rathnawali. She explained that they are buying straight from the planter because it solves the high price issue to an extent.

The school caters to students from grades 1 to 11. The Ministry of Education has promised support to improve the cooking facilities. Rathnawali pointed out the limited space for classroom activities due to the lack of buildings while expressing hope that the Ministry would address this issue with solutions. She also requested a greenhouse to grow food for the consumption of the school’s students.

She mentioned that the Hadabima Authority of Sri Lanka has provided necessary equipment, yet rising prices of eggs and other goods remain a concern. As a potential solution, Rathnawali suggested that if the government could assist a low-income family in establishing a poultry farm, it could help ease these financial concerns. “Although vegetable and meat prices are surging, the funding allocated for meals hasn’t increased,” she noted. They proposed that this meal programme be extended to secondary students to improve their health, though this would require additional financial support from the government.

Why is this meal programme so special?

“We give the leftover coconut shells to self-employed parents to make coconut-shell ladles, which helps to ease their financial burdens,” emphasised Rathnawali. Moreover, she added that after relating their story it was graded and there were 4 schools earmarked. “SUN officials visited our school, evaluated our story and concluded that we had the best one. They selected ours as the ‘Success Story,’ because it stood out as the most impactful story among all schools,” she opined. Rathnawali further shared that this story went on to win as the best in the Asian region, where it was recognised as the ‘Hero Story’

“There’s only a 1% chance that children refuse the meals we provide, primarily due to parental guidance,” emphasised Rathnawali. She noted that some children even return for additional servings. Rathnawali added that most parents are pleased and appreciative of the meal programme, as it greatly benefits their children. In the case of an emergency, if one of the four parents is unavailable, the others are quick to step in and support.

“I taste the breakfast myself before letting the children eat,” Rathnawali stated. Teachers are instructed to share the same meal with the children to illustrate its nutritional value and serve as role models. The meals are prepared following the menus provided by the government circular for the programme. 

Furthermore, the principal of Gannoruwa Junior School expressed her gratitude to the zonal officers for their support, recognising the four parents who assisted with meal preparation, as well as the former principal and teachers. “I am pleased with the success of this programme. It brings me joy that our Junior School are able to uphold our country’s name internationally,” she explained enthusiastically.

The Daily Mirror observed that the school’s surroundings were clean and well-maintained. Despite being a rural school, it has seen various developments, ensuring the safety of the children. A wall encircling the school provides added security. The school also features a playground where sports practices take place after school hours. The staff is attentive to the children’s health. It raises the question whether this school would continue to be seen as a rural, lesser-known institution with limited facilities or if it would evolve into a source of pride for its alma mater.