The Impact of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme on Educational and Nutritional Outcomes in Low-Income Families in New Delhi: A School-Based Mixed-Methods Study

Abstrak

This mixed-methods study examined the educational and nutritional impacts of India's Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) on primary-school children from low-income families in urban New Delhi. Grounded in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Sen's Capabilities Approach, and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the study employed a concurrent mixed-methods design across five government and government-aided schools. Data were collected from 56 participants: 40 students in Grades 3-8, eight parents, and eight teachers and kitchen staff, using interviewer-administered student surveys, semi-structured teacher and administrator interviews, brief parent surveys, and structured non-participant observations. Instruments were piloted with three students, one parent, and one teacher outside the main sample; item clarity revisions were made and inter-observer agreement on the observation checklist reached 92%. Quantitative findings indicate that 82.5% of students reported improved attendance regularity since MDMS implementation, 90% expressed satisfaction with meal taste, and 85% reported feeling full after meals. However, meaningful variations emerged by school and gender, and only 50% of parents perceived attendance improvement. Qualitative analysis surfaced persistent operational constraints, including an average 15-minute meal-delivery delay, kitchen space and water-supply limitations, and dual teaching-supervisory role strain on teachers. A conservative benefit-cost estimation for Delhi shows that annual benefits (INR 3,900 per child) exceed annual costs (INR 2,700 per child), supporting continued investment. The study contributes context-specific evidence on urban MDMS implementation and offers practical implications for policy, school-level practice, and future research.