"Naasthaa" program unnecessary: Minister

Education Minister Dr Ismail Shafeeu said in Parliament today that the 'Naasthaa' program launched by the former administration to provide breakfast to students is unnecessary, with fewer than 1,000 students currently benefiting from the initiative.

Responding to a question from Vilimale’ MP Mohamed Ismail, the minister stated that he had initially expressed concerns about the viability of the program prior to its launch under the government of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

"When the Education Act was introduced, it mandated breakfast for every student. However, the same people who included this in the law and their manifesto later decided to offer breakfast only to those who request it," Minister Shafeeu said.

He said that currently only around 200 students are receiving breakfast, despite approximately 60,000 students attending morning sessions.

"The number is about 100, or less than 1,000," he said.

The 'Naasthaa' program was a pledge of former President Solih and was officially launched on June 11, 2019, to provide breakfast to all morning session students across the country.

It was temporarily suspended due to school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic and resumed in 2021 with a revised approach to cater only to students in need.