The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Noon meal centre inaugurated

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Thursday, Jul 03, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Noon meal centre inaugurated

Staff Reporter

At Nethaji Nagar Municipality Primary School

VANIYAMBADI: The six-year demand for a noon meal centre at the Municipality Primary School at Nethaji Nagar North in Vaniyambadi has been fulfilled, thanks to the efforts by Vaniyambadi Municipality Chairman V.Sivaji Ganesan. The newly constructed centre on the school premises was inaugurated on June 30.

Nethaji Nagar North was one of the backward areas of Vaniyambadi in Vellore district. The area continued to record a high drop out rate, as most of the students who came from poor economic background were forcefully sent to work. Most of the children worked as labourers at small eateries and grocery shops.

Residents said that the main reason for the drop out rate was that there was no noon meal centre at the Nethaji Nagar North Municipality Primary School.

A total of 220 children from the area studied at the primary school. The enrolled students never attended school regularly.

To provide noon meal to students, the school management brought food from the Perumalpettai Primary School.

But the food brought from there was only sufficient to feed 100 of the 220 students. The remaining 120 students had to look out to other sources for lunch. This turned out to be a disturbing factor.

The parents and teachers have been demanding a noon meal centre for the school for more than six years.

The newly opened noon meal centre at the Nethaji Nagar North Municipality Primary School was now equipped to feed all the 220 children. Separate noon meal staff have also been appointed.

Inaugurating the centre, Mr. Ganesan said that parents should not forcefully send their children to work.

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