Breakfast Scheme Sees 13% Rise in School Enrollment in Telangana
A study of 60 government schools in Telangana's Kodangal constituency has found higher student enrollment, improved attendance and fewer complaints of hunger following the introduction of a free breakfast program.
HYDERABAD: Telangana's school breakfast program is showing encouraging early results, with student enrollment increasing by 13% and attendance rising by an estimated 20–22% across 60 government schools surveyed in Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's Kodangal constituency.
An evaluation conducted by Third Vision Research and Services found that the schools enrolled 1,525 more students than in the previous academic year. The increase included 882 boys and 643 girls, suggesting growing participation in government education.
The findings, reported by The New Indian Express and other publications in October 2026, also indicate that providing a nutritious morning meal may be helping students attend school more regularly and remain attentive during lessons. However, the evaluation does not establish that breakfast alone caused the improvements.
Survey Covers Students, Parents and Teachers
The evaluation examined 30 government primary schools and 30 high schools in Kodangal, the Assembly constituency represented by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Researchers gathered responses from 1,153 students, 575 parents and 176 teachers and headmasters to assess the program's effect on school participation, student well-being and classroom behavior.
According to the study, 92.8% of parents reported improvements in their children's attendance, while 89.2% of teachers observed similar changes. Nearly 86.4% of surveyed students said they attended school every day.
The findings suggest that a reliable morning meal could be one factor encouraging families to send their children to government schools, particularly in communities where access to regular nutritious meals may be limited.
Fewer Hunger Complaints, Better Classroom Focus
Beyond enrollment and attendance, the survey recorded positive feedback about students' health, energy and classroom participation.
Among teachers and headmasters surveyed, 98.3% reported fewer complaints of hunger during school hours, while 89.2% observed fewer mid-morning health problems.
Teachers also reported improvements in several aspects of classroom performance.
The findings are significant because classroom hunger can make it difficult for children to concentrate, participate in lessons and maintain energy throughout the morning.
However, improvements in academic performance and behavior were based on teachers' perceptions rather than independently verified test-score comparisons.
Breakfast Program Expanded in June 2026
The Telangana government launched a restructured breakfast initiative on June 15, 2026, covering students from pre-primary classes through the intermediate level.
The first phase included 1,302 government educational institutions, comprising 1,269 schools and 33 junior colleges, and was designed to benefit approximately 145,000 students.
The initiative followed an earlier pilot in Kodangal, where the government worked with the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation to prepare and distribute meals through a centralized kitchen.
The state government's approach draws partly on Tamil Nadu's experience with school breakfast programs. In September 2025, Revanth Reddy publicly identified Tamil Nadu's initiative as an inspiration for Telangana's plans.
Telangana had also introduced a Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government in October 2023. The current administration's 2026 initiative represents a restructured expansion of school breakfast services rather than the state's first introduction of such a program.
Students Welcome Meals, but Quality Concerns Remain
The survey found exceptionally high acceptance of the food served at schools.
Nearly 99.9% of surveyed students said they consumed the breakfast provided, and respondents reported receiving milk on alternate days.
Among parents, 95.7% rated the breakfast as good or very good, while 96.2% said they would recommend their government school.
However, the evaluation also identified areas requiring improvement.
Although 91.3% of students rated the taste favorably, only 76.5% of teachers gave similarly positive feedback.
Food quality accounted for 43.6% of teachers' mentions of areas requiring improvement. Infrastructure concerns, including serving facilities and utensils, accounted for another 33.1%.
The evaluation also identified concerns involving meal quantity, staffing, consistency in preparation and distribution arrangements.
These findings underline the importance of maintaining food safety, adequate portions and dependable delivery as the program expands.
Telangana Plans to Reach 22 Lakh Students
The Telangana government is preparing to extend the breakfast program across government schools and junior colleges, with approximately 22 lakh students — or 2.2 million children — expected to benefit when the planned statewide rollout is completed.
According to a September 26 report in The New Indian Express, education officials identified 39 locations for new or expanded centralized kitchens.
The estimated capital expenditure for kitchen construction and expansion was ₹299.9 crore, with the state expected to fund approximately 70% and partner organizations contributing the remaining 30%.
Officials were targeting the end of October 2026 for the broader rollout, although completion of that expansion has not yet been confirmed.
Why the Findings Matter
For families in Telangana, particularly those in rural and economically disadvantaged communities, the availability of breakfast at school may help address two connected challenges: ensuring children receive a morning meal and encouraging regular school participation.
The results may also interest Telugu families living in the United States who maintain connections with schools, villages and educational charities in Telangana.
The Kodangal findings offer an early indication that school nutrition programs can accompany improvements in enrollment and attendance. But a wider assessment using verified attendance records, nutritional measurements and academic outcomes would be necessary to establish the program's long-term impact.
For now, the evaluation provides encouraging evidence that a relatively simple intervention — ensuring children begin their school day with breakfast — can be associated with meaningful improvements in their school experience.
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