Mid-day meal programme for students | Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh

Year

2026

Reform Domain

Manifesto Watch

Source of Reform Proposals

Election Manifesto of Bangladesh Nationalist Party - BNP

Reform Proposed

Reform Initiated

Legal and Policy Framework

Operationalisation

Action Implementation

Stage of Implementation

Reform Proposed

Last Update: 02-May-26

This pledge was articulated in the election manifesto of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for Bangladesh’s 13th national election. In its election manifesto for Bangladesh’s 13th National Election, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) states that "A "mid-day meal" programme will be introduced gradually nationwide for students in marginalised and hard-to-reach areas."

Reform Initiated

Last Update: 02-May-26

In 2025, the interim government initiated a new School Feeding Programme, with implementation beginning on 17 November 2025 under the Directorate of Primary Education, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, through rollout in selected government primary schools across multiple upazilas. It may be recalled that a previous version of the school feeding programme was implemented for a brief period under the previous regime. Following this, the newly elected government has initiated expansion of the programme, with the Project Director of the School Feeding Programme confirming on 13 April 2026 that a new phase to extend coverage to additional upazilas is already in process.

Legal and Policy Framework

Last Update: 02-May-26

Under the interim government, the School Feeding Programme was designed as a targeted initiative to provide food to primary school students in selected upazilas. The programme covered approximately 31.13 lakh students across 19,419 government primary schools, with a planned duration up to 2027. Students were to receive food five days a week, including fortified biscuits, bananas or seasonal fruits, bread, eggs, and UHT milk, based on a fixed weekly menu, with defined nutritional targets for balanced intake. Building on this, the newly elected government has introduced an expansion initiative. On 13 April 2026, the Project Director of the School Feeding Programme under the Directorate of Primary Education confirmed that a new phase is underway to extend coverage to 349 additional upazilas, with the objective of gradually covering all primary school students nationwide. Further, on 25 April 2026, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Education, Primary and Mass Education stated that the government plans to provide improved-quality mid-day meals to around 2 crore primary school students, with a focus on ensuring better nutrition and longer-lasting food through research and technology.

Operationalisation

Last Update: 02-May-26

On 29 March 2026, as part of the ongoing implementation of the interim government’s programme design, the school feeding programme was implemented in Bhola, covering 415 government primary schools across four upazilas—Daulatkhan, Borhanuddin, Tajumuddin, and Monpura, benefiting approximately 52,500 students, with a reported figure of 52,727 students across these locations. On the same date, as part of the same programme framework, the school feeding programme was also implemented in Faridpur, where it is reported to be ongoing in 592 government primary schools across 6 out of 9 upazilas, funded by the government, although no specific number of beneficiary students has been reported.

Observation

In Anwara, Chattogram (31 March 2026), rotten and unripe bananas were supplied, food was not delivered to 31 of 110 schools on the first day, and milk was reportedly not provided on the second day. In Chapainawabganj Sadar, several students fell ill after consuming food, leading to the suspension of supply in 213 schools and a fine imposed on the supplier. Further, on 27 April 2026, reports from Chapainawabganj Sadar and Madaripur Sadar indicated additional cases of students falling sick, prompting the formation of probe committees and issuance of show-cause notices to suppliers. The effectiveness of the probe committee remains unclear due to a lack of defined timelines, publicly available findings, and visible follow-up actions. Most evidence on implementation continues to rely on news reports, with no comprehensive or updated official documentation available in the public domain on programme performance or monitoring.

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