Sindh Governor announces free breakfast for schoolchildren

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Wednesday announced a new initiative to provide free breakfast to schoolchildren across the province, ARY News reported.

Addressing a ceremony in Karachi, the Governor announced the launch of the “Governor’s Initiative for Free Breakfast for Students”, which aims to provide free breakfast to children in government schools.

According to Kamran Tessori, a survey revealed that many children in Sindh are unable to eat breakfast due to poverty and inflation, with some children not having milk for two years and others not eating eggs for six months.

Tessori noted that just like 50,000 children are currently enrolled in the Governor’s House’s IT programme, and no schoolchildren will now go to school without breakfast. “The initiative will initially be launched in 100 government schools and will be expanded phase-wise,” he added.

The Governor also announced that the initiative will not only be limited to Karachi but will also be launched in other parts of Sindh. A website will also be launched to register schools for the programme.

Meanwhile, Tessori thanked MQM-P Chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and philanthropist Bashir Farooqui, Chairman of Saylani Welfare Trust, for their support in the initiative. He said that the Governor’s House is always taking new initiatives, including classes on IT and security services.

For his part, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui highlighted the critical need for educational improvement, stating that 25 to 30 million children in Pakistan are deprived of education.

He stated that 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population comprises youth or children, with 55 million children enrolled in schools. He expressed hope that the inclusion of the 30 million children currently out of school would significantly improve the educational landscape.

Siddiqui thanked Governor Tessori for supporting the federal government’s educational emergency initiative in Sindh. He stated that providing breakfast to underprivileged children would alleviate their burden, reduce poverty, and increase school attendance.