Impact of mid-day meal programme on academic performance of students: Evidence from few upper primary schools of Burdwan District in West Bengal

This paper attempts to analyze the nature and impact of mid-day meal programme on academic achievement of students in some selected upper primary level schools of Burdwan district in West Bengal. The study covers three hundred students (N = 300) both in urban and rural areas encompassing ‘Below Poverty Line’ (BPL) and ‘Above Poverty Line’ (APL).The results of Chi-square-test revealed that mid-day meal program has had a significant positive impact in academic achievement of students. A multiple regression model has been used to determine the extent of relationship between mid-day meal progamme (via the factors- attendance, enrolment, retention and drop out) and academic achievement of students. Again, students’- t test has been used to examine the assumed hypothesis whether any variation of effect of mid-day meal among economic status of students (i.e., among BPL and APL) or area (i.e., among village and town) and enrolment, attendance, retention or dropout among rural and urban students exists or not.