Millions without meals, children skipping school

Increasing numbers of Sri Lankan children from low-income homes are skipping school because their families are unable to feed them, teachers and parents say.

A recent report found that children from one in seven households have dropped out.

Government data shows that millions of children are not getting school meals. Only Rs 60 has been allocated for a school meal.

The level of food insecurity among families has accelerated due to the economic bankruptcy and related factors.

“Today a child was crying because he was hungry and had fainted,” said Parakrama Weerasinghe, the secretary of the Sri Lanka National Principals Union. Mr Weerasinghe is the principal of a school in central Colombo with 900 students in grades 6-13.

The children are from low-income families. Their parents are daily wage earners and are employed at the Manning market, while some are three-wheeler drivers. According to him, only 60-70% of children attend school. Parents take on multiple jobs and take their children along with them for help.

“They (the Government ) allocated Rs. 60 for a meal. How is that enough? An egg itself is Rs 50,” noted Mr Weerasinghe. The children are fed because of the goodwill of teachers and the community, he said.

The Sri Lanka Complex Emergency Needs Assessment Report from September to October was done by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) covering 2,871 respondents across 11 districts in nine provinces.

A separate case study with 300 households from 10 estates in Nuwara Eliya was also done. It showed that 96% of households had been affected by the economic crisis. Food, health, and livelihoods were the three main priority needs.

Meanwhile, one third of households said their children’s education was severely affected due to the inability to afford the rising costs of transport, stationery, and the discontinuation of meals provided at some schools.

“Children are dropping out of school because transport, stationery, and food are expensive. Parents now have to spend twice, compared to what they used to spend just for food,” said Mr Joseph Stalin, the general secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union

According to the Red Cross report, children from one in seven households has already dropped out of school. Furthermore, one in 10 households has admitted that if the situation worsens, their children will have to skip school.

“Teachers bring extra food for the children. Some parents send extra food, and, in some instances, children go to a friend’s house to collect food and come with their friend to school to not reveal that they are struggling,” said Ms Chandima Aheliyagoda, the vice principal of a school in Kesbewa with 1,083 students.

However, there has not been a significant change in attendance due to steps taken by teachers and parents to provide meals.

According to the Ministry of Education, there are 4.1 million school going children, of which only 1.1 million school children receive midday meals.

Rs. 60 is allocated per meal for a child. Meals usually consist of rice, eggs or sprats, a vegetable and mallung.

“We ensure that all the required nutrients are included in this meal based on doctors’ advice,” said Mahinda Yapa, additional secretary at the Ministry of Education.

Funds are released by the Ministry of Education, he claimed.

A meal can’t be provided for Rs 60. So, parents and teachers get together with the community to provide meals.

Mr Yapa noted that a Cabinet decision had been taken to provide one million more children with meals to help maintain school attendance.

Meanwhile, international organizations like Save The Children, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), and John Keells are collaborating with the Education Ministry to provide meals.

The ministry is also hosting a vocational training session after school, in seven schools for students in Obeysekerapura to improve their skills to enter the job market.

Some NGOs are also stepping in.

Plus One Community Kitchens founded by Manura Ekanayake and Dinesh Gardiarachchige, is an organisation that aims to feed school children as a part of their mission.

Michael David, the project leader told the Sunday Times, that the idea resulted from a Children’s Day project they had organised. For the first time, 400 students from a school in Gampaha had visited Colombo. They had taken the children on a sightseeing tour and were provided with a meal. The decision to provide meals was taken as it would increase participation, focus, and the ability to learn while also ensuring that the chances of children being abused by caretakers when left at home would be reduced.

At present, the group is handling three projects in Wattegama, Maskeliya and Mathugama.