The Ministry of Education is considering restarting the “milk feeding programme” in all nursery and primary schools across the country, the National Assembly was told on Monday.

According to Minster of Education Shaik Baksh, the programme, which has been discontinued for more than a year, was affected because Food for the Poor had stopped providing non-fat milk. Government decided to stop the initiative while it reviewed its cost. Baksh informed the House, that it will cost approximately $1 billion to provide all nursery and primary school students in the country with full-cream milk and biscuits.

Other options are also being considered by the government, the minister stated and he added that talks are being held with the Ministry of Health to determine other suitable options.

Fortified juices were identified by Baksh as one of the options under consideration.
Meanwhile the minster said he hoped the expenditure for this feeding programme will be reflected in next year’s budget.

Baksh was responding to several questions about the feeding programme posed by PNCR MPs.