Mid Day Meal, a national programme too is initiated to accelerate the process of bringing and keeping children in formal school system including EGS and AIE schemes. In December 2005, with the support from Department of School Education, Govt of West Bengal, the mid-day meal scheme was introduced in the Shikshalayas.
Increase of mid day meal programme has resulted in increase in enrollment and retention too. The average attendance in Shikshalaya centres has also increased.
Education has been the major thrust area of Shikshalaya Prakalpa.ORG. Since its initiation through all its partner NGOs has been engaged itself to bring the unreached or the hardest to reach children in the educational area. Presently in this venture partner organizations are the players who run the centres. Till 31st March , 27402 never-enrolled or drop out cildren have been enrolled in 457 Shikshalaya centres spread over the city of Kolkata in 83 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Average attendance has been 81%.
Trainings for the Sevaks or Sevikas has been a regular feature with the support from Loreto Day School, Sealdah. SSA, Kolkata has been very supportive in relasing timely funds for this project and the School Education Dept of the Govt of West Bengal has extended active help in arranging mid-day meals for these children. Around 7000 children are ready for admission in Class V in govt formal schools. The main strength of this project is the convergence among the various stake holders, less cost per child, flexibility in centre timing etc.
However there has been some weaknesses too. Seasonal migration of learners with their families, absence of care at home, family poverty, huge turnover of sevaks/sevikas, and sometimes relocation of centres due to evacuation in different areas of the city were some of the other weaknesses. The challenges that organizations have identified are upper primary arrangement for all children, provision of more Urdu schools, absence of documents like birth certificates, arrangement of more health care facilities, and last but not the least social stigma about these children.
