Govt to expand micronutrition milk to all schools

Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said on Saturday that milk mixed with Sai Sure multivitamin micronutrition powder, which is being provided to children in some districts, will be expanded to all schools of the state.

Speaking to reporters here, he said Adamya Chetana Trust, in association with Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust, has introduced it in some districts. This power is nutritious, flavoured and medically tested. The children had stopped drinking milk which was provided under the Ksheera Bhagya Scheme as it was not tasty. The students are now drinking the nutritious milk being distributed in some schools, Suresh Kumar said.

Kumar said several trusts have come forward to serve morning breakfast to the students. The government has plans to introduce it across the state. However, a final call in this regard will be taken after a discussion on the expense and the number of students. The government will take a decision on the demand of expanding the Midday Meal Scheme to the PUC students, he said.

The minister will interact with the students of Kalyana Karnataka region, including Kalaburagi and Bidar districts in October to understand their problems. Later, strategies will be chalked out to improve the results of the tenth standard and the Pre-University, he added.

Under No Detention Policy, no student can be failed under the Right to Education Act.

The state government is planning to introduce examination in sixth and eighth standards to dispel examination phobia among the students by the time they reach the tenth standard and bring in quality in education. Educationists have also favoured conducting the examinations at two levels, Kumar said.