HRD minister to discuss education, mid-day meals with states

NEW DELHI: The Union minister of human resource and development (HRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, has called for a meeting with state education ministers to discuss how to impart education effectively amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He will also discuss the mid-day meal programme for students.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at 2 pm through a video conference.

"The HRD minister will interact with state education ministers through a video call tomorrow to discuss issues like handling of COVID-19, mid-day meal programme and Samagra Shiksha programme," said a senior HRD ministry official, Press Trust of India reported.

Earlier, on April 27, the HRD minister interacted with the parents via webinar to address their concerns about the “academic future” of their children, availability of books, teaching methodology, uncertainty over board examinations and entrance tests, and various issues arising due to COVID-19 lockdown in the country.

All the educational institutions have been closed in the country and all examinations were postponed, including the board exams, when the nationwide lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country. Later on, the lockdown was extended till May 3.

Pokhriyal had mentioned during the webinar that as education is on concurrent list, suggestions from both the centre and the states will be taken into account to decide the academic schedule for students.

In the last week of March, the HRD ministry had asked the states and union territories to ensure the continuance of the mid-day meal supply to the students, even though the schools had shut down amidst the lockdown. It was suggested either supplying packed meals at the doorsteps of student's homes or giving them an equivalent amount of food grains or transferring money into parents’ bank accounts.

The mid-day meal scheme is the world's largest school-lunch programme aimed at improving nutrition but it was interrupted when schools closed due to COVID-19.

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan is the ministry’s large scheme aimed at providing equitable and quality school education.

Many state governments have ordered the school authorities to not increase the school fee during the lockdown period.

The HRD ministry has been promoting online learning as a means to resume education amidst COVID-19 situation in the country but the methodology has been incurring issues due to internet connectivity and availability of computers and smartphones and also pending board examinations for Class 10 and Class 12 students.

Also read:

• Covid-19 Shutdown: Centre orders states to provide mid day meals
• Coronavirus: Delhi Govt to provide packed mid-day meal at doorstep

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