Akshaya Patra: A Case Study Analysis of one NGO’s Holistic Approach to India’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Wednesday I)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Inequities within and between schooling contexts

Proposal

Purpose/Significance: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of non-governmental organizations in India’s school feeding program, now called the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme, which was first established in 1995. Due to the lack of literature surrounding NGO’s and their role in MDM, the study explores the impact of one NGO, Akshaya Patra. School feeding programs have primarily been utilized as poverty-alleviation interventions. However, their impact has extended beyond just assisting in the mitigation of poverty, and plays a significant role in children’s educational outcomes. More specifically, quantitative studies have shown significant impact on educational outcomes such as enrollment, attendance, and participation. Additionally, research has indicated varying results on certain populations, especially amongst females. For example, some studies have shown that due to the implementation of MDM, there has been a significant increase in enrollment by female school children.

This study aims to discover how, if at all, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) improve or have a significant impact on policy outcomes. More specifically, I examines the role of Akshaya Patra, which is India’s largest NGO focused on school feeding interventions in the Northern and Southern regions of India.

Research Questions:

1) What is the role of NGOs in India’s school feeding program, specifically in implementation, quality, and outcomes?

2) What/how does the quality and implementation of NGO’s school feeding interventions effect educational outcomes?


Methods: The researchers will conduct a thorough analysis of the literature surrounding the involvement of NGOs in the educational sector, specifically in the design, quality, and implementation of school-feeding programs. Additionally, the researchers will conduct one hour long interviews with a member of Akshaya Patra, an NGO in India, that solely focuses their attention to school feeding, and how they work separately, as well as in tandem with the government. India is home to the largest school-feeding program in the world. In addition, the researchers will include a comprehensive report of the studies that have been conducted by the organization itself that have examined their impact in the regions in which they work.

Preliminary Findings: The NGO, Akshaya Patra, has had a significant impact on the educational outcomes of students in the states in which they operate. Currently, the organization primarily operates in 32 locations across 12 states. The organization works in tandem with the government, but has improved the quality of food and the intervention overall, as well as utilized technological advances to do so. Furthermore, they have reported that they have been able to broaden their scope of impact, specifically on the number of children who are served thorough their intervention, as well as extending their effect on outcomes beyond just health and education.

Author

• Parna Banerjee, University of Georgia