Mid-day Meals Done Right: Village-Based School Serves Holige, Poori, Dosa to Kids, Has High Attendance

For most government school kids, it is difficult to get even a decent ‘rice-sambar’ as part of the mid-day meal but for kids at government higher primary school at Kottalagi village of Belagavi district, having delicacies as part of their mid-day meal is part of daily routine. The school serves dosa-chutney, Idli Sambar or holige the sweet delicacy that’s only prepared at festivals.

The school in Kottalagi village has over 200 kids studying in classes from 1 to 7 and they love to come to school; the main attraction certainly is yummy food and the school staff just encashed this thought.

Mid-day meals served at government schools follows a certain pattern where the menu is also shared by the education department along with the groceries. But, here is an exception.

The education department provides, rice, dal, jaggery, tamarind, and other groceries to every school depending on the strength. The staff at this school just made the best use of the supplied grocery.

Instead of using the rice to just make steamed rice, they made idli out of it and served it with sambar. They made holige (a sweet delicacy prepared with maida, jaggery, and coconut) with the available ingredients. They just tweaked the menu, and it is a super hit!

“We haven’t brought a single item from our homes. We have only used the available things more efficiently. This has increased the quality of food and children are more than happy” said Appasaheba Patil, the headmaster.

Children’s birthdays are celebrated by having any sweet delicacy in the mid-day meal and planting a sapling. These are the kids of farmers, daily wage workers, and labour class. So a good meal is a great puller towards better attendance. With several primary schools springing up in the vicinity keeping up with admission and attendance was a big task for the staff here. This change in the menu has helped it in a great way.

“Holige is my favorite sweet. It is prepared only once in our house during Ugadi. But we get to eat that along with poori, bajji and several other things at school itself. I never miss school. I will be waiting for the lunch bell everyday” said a happy Madesha, a class 3 student from the school.

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