More than 90,000 students aged 10 to 12 were found to be suffering from stunted growth, according to the Education Ministry. The data came from the National Physical Fitness Standard and Body Mass Index analysis conducted by the Health Ministry, which studied over 1.3 million students in this age group.
The report revealed that 91,536 students were classified as stunted. The Education Ministry explained that many of these students had already faced nutritional issues before starting school. Stunting is caused by a lack of proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child's life, starting from pregnancy until the child reaches two years old.
Both the Education and Health Ministries have been working together to address this issue. The Education Ministry has implemented nutrition education programs, such as healthy eating campaigns to raise awareness about proper nutrition. The government also runs the Supplementary Food Programme, which provides additional meals to primary school students to improve their health and dietary habits.
The program includes 20 specially designed menus, each providing between 428 and 545 calories to meet the daily nutritional needs of students. Since 2021, the program has been improved to include daily milk distribution, ensuring that students receive enough nutrients from dairy sources.
The Education Ministry hopes that parents, alongside schools, will continue to support efforts to help children affected by stunted growth. The Health Ministry also aims to reduce the rate of stunting in children under five to 14.2percent by 2030. In 2022, a national survey showed that 21.2percent of children experienced stunted growth, a rise from 16.6percent in 2011.
The ministries continue to work on finding long-term solutions to reduce stunting and improve children's health.
