DERA GHAZI KHAN: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched the first school nutrition programme in the province at the Government Primary School MC-1 here on Thursday.

During her address on the occasion, she said she first thought of launching the programme to deal with the malnutrition issue of schoolchildren when she visited a school and a teacher told her that some children would come to school without having breakfast and they would faint in school.

“That day I decided that we would launch a programme in schools where the children up to class V would get a free milk packet daily, having all the nutrition.”

Maryam said it was a costly programme but there was nothing more important than the children.

“A survey indicated that children’s weight is not in accordance with their age in these areas (Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh). it is not a favour to the children; it is their right,” she added and all provinces in Pakistan faced issues of nutritional deficiencies and stunted growth; therefore, all provinces should start a school nutrition programme.

Schoolchildren in three south Punjab dists to get a milk packet daily

During her visit, the chief minister interacted with the students, distributed milk packs and talked to them about their education and health.

She personally gave milk packs to the students, opened them and supervised the students as they drank milk. She asked the children about any challenges they faced, and upon learning about a student’s father’s unemployment, she directed the authorities concerned to ensure a job for him.

The Chief Minister School Nutrition Programme is a pilot project aimed at addressing malnutrition in three districts of south Punjab – Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh. Over 400,000 malnourished students in 3,527 schools will receive daily milk packs. The empty packs will be collected and proceeds from recycling will be used for benefit of the respective schools.

During her address, Maryam Nawaz lauded Provincial Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat for bringing the rate of one packet of milk from Rs85 or Rs90 to Rs63.

Provincial Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat briefed the CM on the project. Senior officials, including Marriyum Aurangzeb, Zahid Bukhari and others, were present at the event.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2024