Kathmandu .Nutritious food should be a basic subject for teaching children. It creates a healthy body and hunger-free environment. Nutrition for children of school age is very important and according to a study, every dollar invested in school treasury has yielded a return of more than 5 dollars and this has helped in expanding the access of children to school and increasing the level of education by creating strong manpower and healthy human capital and helping the economy of the nation. Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education Science and Technology, National Counseling Program was organized for the planning and implementation of Bal Maitri Local Government National Forum, Jagruti Child and Youth Concern Nepal Sahaykar, World Vision International Nepal, Kyanalco Sahayog in the context of implementation of Nutritious School Diva Khaja Model, 2081 based on local production.

Article 26 of the Constitution of Nepal enshrines food security and sovereignty in the form of provision of fundamental rights to the citizens, and Article 51 enshrines in the policies of the state the development of agricultural sector in accordance with the recognition of food sovereignty and the establishment of agricultural sector in accordance with the recognition of food sovereignty and the promotion of food grain production in accordance with the climate and human-friendly environment and the policy of ensuring sustainable production, supply, storage, security and effective policy of food grains. In the context of child rights protection, promotion, education, nutrition and health rights expressed under Article 39, along with national and international commitments, thousands of periodic plans have also been expressed and the stakeholders are promoting campaigns like Poshan Maitri, Bal Maitri, saying that there is a policy system for improving nutrition and improving educational attainment for human capital formation.

In order to ease the cost of arranging nutritious food for the children studying in the school level as per the prescribed criteria based on local produce, as per the ministerial decision of 2081-6-8, the Ministry of Education Science and Technology approved the Nutritious School Day Meal Format, 2081 based on local produce, Hariprasad Aryalle of the Ministry said. Representatives of various ministries, representatives of different levels of government, civil society organizations, networks, development partner organizations participated in the consultation program chaired by Dr. Deepak Kafle, Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. In the programme, Nilkanth Dhakale, welcoming the Ministry, told that the Khaja program in schools is inter-related with various subjects, inter-ministries, bodies and federal organizations should have a common subject. In the program, Uma Magarle of World Vision International was speaking about World Vision International’s Bal Maitri, Poshan Maitri, Child Protection Promotion and Inf campaign.

In the programme, the representatives of the children’s club had to add the topic of following the Diva Khaja programme, the programs being organized with the children, and studying the child-centric topics with them. The principals of the school had raised the issue of withdrawal of funds from the daily khaja ​​in monthly form, exchange of actual practical experience, insufficient funds for the khaja ​​provided to the students and discrimination seen due to not bringing all the classes, promotion of parent education to make the school khaja ​​program effective, study and research should be done about the current situation, local government should be able to calculate its resources and operations, make the procurement system simple, etc.

In the program, Bhupal Pokharel, member of the Municipal Corporation Federation, Deepak Gautam, Deputy General Secretary of the District Coordination Committee Federation, Sunita Subedi, representative of the Municipality Association, Indradevi Dhakal, member-secretary of the National Child Rights Council, etc. expressed their commitment to contribute to the promotion of Diva Khaja. Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Deepak Kaflele, taking the suggestions received in the context of implementation of School Diva Khaja Draft, 2081 as an asset, stated that the government is committed to ensure quality education and promotion of children, giving role to all the stakeholders in the promotion of Diva Khaja to the children, inter-ministerial, civic body, family, parents’ association, organization and expressed commitment to move ahead towards increasing the involvement of children along with the responsibilities of all of us.

Right activist and President of Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal, Tilottam Paudelle brought the topic of Diva Khaja programme, child sensitive social security, child-friendliness, nutrition-friendliness, environment-friendly, discrimination free, child marriage free, child labor free, school and children are peace zone, children are the national pride along with the zinc campaign, brought the topic of child protection in schools, adolescent empowerment standards along with nutrition improvement and Diva Khaja program and joined political party and all the stakeholders in making it a topic for joint discussion.

The program was conducted with the participation of more than 100 people including the 5th Ministry, Municipal Corporation Federation, Municipal Corporation Federation, District Coordination Committee Federation, Teachers Association, Parents Association, Children’s Sectoral Networks, National Planning Commission, Public Representatives, Experts, etc. Ashok Khanal told about Bal Maitri Governance, Nutrition Maitri Governance and School Khaja Program and appealed to increase the nutrition intake of children. In the programme, Hariprasad Aryalle of the Center for Education and Human Resource Development, giving a presentation on the background of Diva Khaja, said that rules related to compulsory and free education, school education area scheme, nutritious school based on local production, Diva Khaja format are being operated as per the policy arrangements and 8 billion 46 crore budget of school Khaja has been allocated and the said amount is being consumed by 32 lakh students, it was said that it should be further organized and all the stakeholders should be encouraged to increase the cooperation.

Giving context to the opportunity of daily khaja ​​programme, actual practice to be improved, the program coordinator of Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal, Rita Thapale Parvat, told Vihadima local tahr and Kyanalan’s co-operation with local Rathana, junk food free school, khaja ​​was organized and local source operated khaja ​​program was conducted in some schools up to class 10.

In the programme, the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry, Gobind Prasad Aryalle, told that the Diva Khaja program is not limited to schools only from the point of view of child development and with the expectation that its positive impact will reach the home as well as the family, the government should take ministerial level decision, take the School Diva Khaja Draft, 2081, keeping in mind the context, utility, coordination, partnership, commitment and responsibility, keeping in mind the local production and told that basic healthy, nutritious food should be promoted.