Breakfast Scheme pushes up attendance levels, says survey
The Hindu
Of 1,543 govt. schools where it has been rolled out, 1,319 schools showed an increase in attendance of students of Classes I-V in January and February this year, compared with June-July last year
Of the 1,543 government schools in Tamil Nadu where the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme has been rolled out, 1,319 schools showed an increase in attendance of students of Classes I-V in January and February this year, compared with June-July 2022, according to an analysis done by the State Planning Commission. Around 217 schools have seen no change in the attendance pattern.
The report, ‘Impact of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme on Student Attendance’, which was handed over to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin shows an increase in attendance at schools in all districts.
For instance, Tirupattur, Perambalur, Ariyalur and Tiruvarur, the attendance at all schools where the scheme is running is 100%. These districts are followed by Krishnagiri (98.5%), Karur (97.4%) and the Nilgiris (96.8%).
At 1,086 schools, the increase in attendance is up to 20%, while 22 schools report more than 40% increase.
J. Jeyaranjan, the Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission, told The Hindu that the base attendance data of 1,543 beneficiary schools were compared with those of schools within 1 km-2 km by considering their geographical coordinates.
“Only schools with enrolment of 25 and above and those consistently reporting attendance of above 75% were considered for the comparison. This left us with 72 beneficiary schools, each mapped with at least 2 to 15 neighbouring schools (414 in total). 77% of the beneficiary schools showed a positive trend in attendance, compared with their neighbouring schools,” he noted.
Around 1.14 lakh students have benefited from the scheme in the first phase, and around 56,000 students in the second phase. “Considering absenteeism and other factors, on an average, around 1.48 lakh students are benefiting,” Mr. Jeyaranjan pointed out.