Punjab provides daily nutrition to 1.2 million schoolchildren, minister says

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has defended the provincial government’s School Nutrition Program,

LAHORE:  Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has defended the provincial government’s School Nutrition Program, claiming that Punjab is the only province in Pakistan providing daily nutritional support to more than 1.2 million schoolchildren across 12 districts of South Punjab.

In a statement shared on social media platform X, the minister highlighted the programme’s reported achievements and responded to criticism surrounding the initiative. He said the districts had been selected after mapping malnutrition levels across the province, with priority given to areas where children face the greatest nutritional challenges.

Sharing details of the initiative, Rana Sikandar Hayat said the programme provides milk and fortified biscuits to students enrolled in standalone primary schools from Class 1 to Class 5. According to the minister, children receive these nutritional items every school day as part of the government’s efforts to improve their health and support their education.

The minister described the initiative as an effort to address nutritional deficiencies while encouraging children to attend school regularly. He also presented figures related to the programme’s recycling component and its reported impact on school attendance, academic performance and enrolment.

Recycling initiative supports schools

According to the details shared by the education minister, the programme incorporates an environmentally friendly recycling model under which approximately 1.2 million empty milk packs are collected for recycling every day.

Rana Sikandar Hayat said the initiative also returns educational and classroom supplies to participating schools. He claimed that around 250,000 copies, pencils and benches are provided back to the same schools through the recycling arrangement.

The model is intended to combine child nutrition with waste management, allowing discarded packaging to be recycled while generating support for educational facilities. The minister presented the initiative as an example of how public welfare programmes can contribute to both student wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

However, the figures and reported outcomes were shared by the minister, and further independent data would be needed to assess the programme’s overall impact.

Improved attendance and enrolment reported

Highlighting the programme’s results, the minister claimed that participating schools had recorded improvements in student attendance, assessment results and children’s overall health.

He also reported an increase of more than 150,000 students in enrolment across the targeted districts. The government considers the reported increase an encouraging development in its efforts to bring more children into the public education system and improve school retention.

Education officials have linked the initiative to the wider challenge of keeping children enrolled in schools, particularly in areas where poverty, malnutrition and limited access to resources can affect educational participation.

Sources in the School Education Department said the programme currently focuses on South Punjab because the region has some of the province’s highest rates of childhood stunting and malnutrition. They added that private-sector partners are supporting the initiative under what they described as a transparent implementation mechanism.

Part of wider education campaign

The School Nutrition Program forms part of the Punjab government’s broader **Parho Gay To Barho Gay** campaign, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The campaign aims to increase school enrolment, improve attendance and encourage children to continue their education in public schools. By combining nutritional assistance with educational support, the provincial government seeks to address some of the barriers that prevent children from attending school regularly.

The programme’s long-term effectiveness will depend on sustained implementation, monitoring and reliable assessments of its impact on children’s health and educational outcomes.