State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has issued a stern warning to contractors involved in “Mid-Day Meal” programme, demanding they step down if unable to ensure food quality and efficient distribution.
The state minister’s remarks came during a meeting held on Sunday at Primary Teacher Training Institute (PTI) in Mirpur.
Addressing representatives from top business houses, district and upazila education officers, and government officials, Bobby Hajjaj expressed dissatisfaction with the current quality and quantity of meals being provided to primary school students.
The state minister has directed the relevant stakeholders to submit a comprehensive “mapping” of the entire supply chain to the government within seven days.
“The primary importance for me is ensuring nutritious and healthy food for children,” Bobby Hajjaj said.
“The government will not compromise with anyone on this matter. Monitoring systems will be strengthened at every stage”.
Highlighting the scale of the initiative, the state minister noted that a pilot project worth Tk5,500 crore has been launched across 151 upazilas to ensure children receive nutrition.
He pointed out that this budget represents one per cent of the national budget, an amount equivalent to the cost of constructing a metro rail.
“If children do not receive nutritious and healthy food even after this, the public will not remain silent,” the state minister warned.
Currently, 19 companies are involved in the programme. The state minister criticised logistical inefficiencies, citing an instance where a company from Faridpur took a contract to supply schools in Mymensingh and subsequently used the distance as an excuse for service issues.
He reiterated that those unable to follow government directives should relinquish their contracts to those who can.
The “Mid-Day Meal” project was initiated to increase school attendance and reduce dropout rates by providing two items – including boiled eggs, buns, fortified biscuits, ripe bananas, or UHT milk – to students in approximately 20,000 schools. However, the programme has faced nationwide criticism following reports of low-quality food distribution and instances of students falling ill after consumption.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education plans to implement the “Mid-Day Meal” programme in all primary schools across the country starting next year.
Officials said the government is committed to resolving existing issues before the full-scale launch.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Md Sakhawat Hossain, Additional Secretary (Development) Md Mokhlesur Rahman, and the Director General Shahina Ferdousi among others.
