Children may be missing out on free school meals as families favor private education, study finds

A new study has revealed that children in some of India's poorest families may be missing out on free school meals because the scheme does not align with parents' aspirations for their children's futures. The Mid-day Meal Scheme (MDMS), one of India's most successful food programs, provides free cooked meals to around 118 million children in government and government-aided schools.

However, the study by Lancaster University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur found that the scheme's value cannot be understood solely through nutrition and school attendance. Factors such as perceptions of school quality, costs of schooling, household labor needs, and social meanings attached to receiving free food play a significant role in shaping families' decisions about the scheme.

Many families opt for low-cost private schools that they perceive as offering a better education, trading free meals for private education, and often cutting back on food at home to pay the fees, worsening food budget pressures. The study suggests that the scheme needs to be reframed to address these concerns and reach more children, emphasizing better infrastructure in government schools, reduced stigma, community co-design of menus, and reducing hidden costs.

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