Going to school is about more than just becoming book smart. It’s about making friends, interaction, gaining confidence, learning sportsmanship, etiquette, empathy, discovering hidden talents and so much more.
It is how children are groomed today to become respectable citizens of society tomorrow.
In India where many children come from economically backward families, school is not very high on the list of priorities. Parents much rather that children help them earn their daily wages, or stay at home to look after their siblings while both parents work.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation has introduced the mid-day meal scheme to 10,050 government run schools across India, feeding over 1.3 million children every day. With this acting as an incentive to send their children to school, studies have shown that there has been an increase in school enrollment up to 28 per cent, while school dropout rates have decreased by 8 per cent.
But an important benefit of The Akshaya Patra Foundation mid-day meal scheme is that by bringing children to school regularly, it has taught many to overcome their inhibitions and increase their socialization with their peers.
At many schools annual days, cultural events and sports functions are an integral part of the children’s education which has helped them learn many important lessons on how to work as a team, accept victory and defeat graciously, cope with stress, decision making, problem solving, effective communication, creative thinking, self-awareness and how to hone their own talents and abilities.
These life lessons are things that cannot be learnt from a book but through constant interaction with their society around them. The Akshaya Patra mid-day meals aim to not just provide nutrition to these children, but also help create an atmosphere of emotive learning and expression, so that each of these children will grow up to be the wholesome, kind human beings of our future.
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