Fund for School Lunch Program

29 June – “Thai children are healthy, fit for their ages, moving forward with food management innovations” fund for lunch programs in primary schools.

One of the “revolving funds” under the supervision of the revolving capital management system is the “primary school lunch program fund”, whose goal is to Thai children are healthy, fit for their ages, moving forward with food management innovations.

Food is one of the most important factors in life. Whether childhood or adulthood should be fed according to nutritional principles for physical health good mental health Especially school-age children for them to thrive have complete health Both physically, mentally, emotionally, there is development in learning, remembering, and also strengthening immunity to various diseases.

For families who have enough strength On good nutrition for school-age children probably not a problem And which group of children? at this risk

Can't deny that On the one hand, many Thai children are struggling with lack of good nutrition. Even though he received all three meals, the nutrients he received were insufficient. When the nutritional value is low, it will affect development and learning.

In Thai society, there are both rich people. The middle class and the poor is an undeniable fact. poor family or vulnerable groups whose incomes are not balanced with expenditures There are not many eating options and it is inevitable that the word "Eat according to what you were born." If you have something, eat like that. The more there is an epidemic of COVID-19. come in to aggravate This exacerbates the problem of food insecurity and hunger for many families. The main items that need immediate help are essential supplies, food, drinking water, and travel expenses.

When the COVID-19 epidemic situation subsided, all schools resumed normal teaching and learning. The school lunch program has returned to serve as an important aid for school-aged children to receive good and nutritious food. Being fully nutritional again Even if it's only 1 lunch, but if it's a quality meal It will help school-age children get enough nutrients to meet the needs of the body. To be used in learning, developing the brain, developing the body, developing the mental state. Including helping to have energy to do activities in the afternoon

“The Background of the Fund for the Primary School Lunch Program” School

Lunch Program in Thailand has been around for a long time Because promoting growth for Thai children To maintain good health according to age is the main duty of the government that must be given priority. and encourage all Thai children to receive complete nutrition according to nutritional principles to reduce the problem of malnutrition of children This will be the basis for physical and intellectual development. Especially children in elementary school age. so the government Therefore, the elementary school lunch program was established in 1952 in order to solve the problem of malnutrition in children. It was found that many primary school students lacked lunch. or have lunch but the quantity is not enough or food with low nutritional value Causing growth conditions to not meet the criteria of the Ministry of Public Health

The Ministry of Education has experimented with organizing lunch for students under It was found that the school lacked budget for operations. As a result, it is not possible to provide lunch for students who are lacking thoroughly.

In the year 1987, the Office of the National Primary Education Commission has realized the importance of the lunch program thus setting a policy Let the school implement the lunch program for all schools before December 5, 1987 under the motto of the 60th Birthday Anniversary of the Maharaja, primary school children are not hungry.

Later, at the end of the fiscal year 1991, the government rushed to help primary school children with malnutrition. and lack of lunch legislation The Primary School Lunch Program Fund Act B.E. 2535 establishes a fund for the primary school lunch program with a budget of 6,000 million baht, with the objective of being a revolving fund and spending for supporting and helping the nutritional status of students in primary schools. study and publicizing the problem of child malnutrition

In the year 1999, the government realized the importance of food, problems and obstacles that schools could not do alone. Affecting the shortage of students who have not yet eaten lunch. The Cabinet therefore passed a resolution on October 19, 1999 that encouraged all students to have a full lunch every day. It is an important government policy. By agreeing to cooperate in promoting and supporting all students to eat full food every day. between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and approved the Ministry of Interior Ministry of Public Health and every ministry, bureau, and department to support the implementation of the project

Fiscal Year 2001, Ministry of Education has transferred the lunch budget to the Ministry of the Interior According to the Act on Establishing Plans and Procedures for Decentralization of Powers to Local Administrative Organizations, B.E. 2542

In 2008, the Cabinet approved the increase in subsidy for elementary school students' lunches to 10 baht per day in 2009, to 13 baht per day in 2013. Increased to 20 baht per day per person, and in 2021, the Cabinet approved the principle of adjusting student lunch fees by 5 percent to 21 baht per day from the fiscal year 2022 to schools. To operate the student lunch program in primary schools for students from kindergarten 1 to grade 6.

Missions of the Primary School Lunch Project Fund

1. Promote and support elementary school students to have good nutritional status, high, good, well-balanced.

2. Promote and support elementary school students to have knowledge of nutrition and safe food.

3. Systematically increase the efficiency of fund management according to good governance principles.

4.Increase management efficiency, information system, communication, public relations on malnutrition problems, personnel development, supervision support Supervising, monitoring and evaluating

5. Coordinate cooperation networks in the management of nutritional status and student health. from government agencies local government private sector and network

Fund for School Lunch Program The interest proceeds were used for administration through the Board of Trustees for the Lunch Program in Primary Schools. Sub-Committee for the Fund for School Lunch Program and spending in accordance with the annual strategic plan and action plan To help all primary school students have quality lunches eaten every day for 200 days in an academic year. until continually reducing the problem of malnutrition among students

In addition to the fund It plays an important role in the development of students' bodies to be healthy and strong. and have a height and weight that meets the criteria It also helps instill correct eating habits in students. in order to pay more attention to health

the success of “Fund for the Elementary School Lunch Program”

for the past several decades Fund for School Lunch Program Has performed a mission to promote and support the management of education. and continually strengthening the health of children and youth This can be seen from students in schools that the fund Provide support to have a decrease in nutritional status, namely:

1. The number of students whose weight per height is below the norm or thinness is reduced.

2. Students whose height is under the norm or shortness are reduced.

3. Students with Body weight per height is higher than the norm or obesity is reduced.

And this is part of the work of administrative supervision. "Revolving capital" to be effective. To be a mechanism for the development and promotion of physical, mental, emotional and social aspects for children from kindergarten to primary school age. This is the age of development in various aspects of the body. Encouraging children to receive nutrients from all 5 groups is equivalent to creating a complete life that will continue to grow as a quality resource in society. Therefore, good nutrition is the foundation of the growth of those who will be the future of the nation.

Source: Thai News Agency