Education is one of the most important aspects of every human being’s life and food also holds a lot of importance in the life of a person, especially during the growing years as good nutrition is necessary for proper mental and physical growth.
The government of UAE has decided to take a big step as the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, recently talked about the UAE School Meals initiative, which is about providing free meals to all the school pupils of public-schools all over the country by 2025.
Mariam talked about this scheme while speaking at the First Global Summit of the Global School Meals Coalition which was held in Paris, the Minister informed the global ministers and policymakers about UAE’s bold initiative.
Mariam talked about the link between education and nutrition as the Minister stated, “We’re going from zero to 100% by providing free, nutritious meals for all students at public schools within the next two years. This has been driven by the inspiration and information we have received from the School Meals Coalition. Providing free school meals is firstly about nutrition and ensuring a healthy childhood for every child in the UAE, but secondly, it is about influencing long-term behaviour; we know there is a clear link between nutrition and education.”
The Minister also stated that a great school and great teachers are of no use to a student who is not getting proper nutrition. In the words of the Minister, “I could provide a student with a great school and great teachers, but if they’re not getting the nutrition, we all know they can’t absorb that education.”
This is certainly a great initiative!!!