SHAH ALAM, June 22 — Selangor’s initiative to provide free breakfasts to 120,000 students statewide from August is a strategic investment in human capital development, said Sentosa assemblyman Gunaraj George.
He said the programme, to be held across 965 schools, will ensure the well-being of lower-income families and lead Selangor’s children to brighter futures.
“This initiative is important as it helps students who don’t have time or can’t afford to have breakfast to (access) food, and reduces the family’s cost of living burden.
“It can also improve (students’) attentiveness in class and reduce truancy and lateness,” he said when debating Phase 2 of the Selangor Resilience Enhancement Package (SREP) during a special Selangor State Legislative Assembly sitting here today.
Gunaraj said that India, which launched a similar initiative in 2022, has proved that free breakfasts can encourage attendance, reduce dropout rates, and improve student performance.
“Developed countries like Finland, the United Kingdom, and the United States have also long executed programmes like this because they understand it is an investment in education,” he added.
Last week, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced that recipients of the free breakfasts have been identified using Selangor State Education Department (JPNS) data.
He added that the programme would be similar to the Supplementary Food Plan (RMT), with the free breakfast initiative to be done twice or thrice a week.
Amirudin said the programme is meant for students of primary and secondary schools, religious schools under the Selangor Islamic Religious Department, and education institutions registered with JPNS.
