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Plates for slates: The impact of a school feeding programme on community representations of schools

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  • Chauhan, Apurv

Abstract

Using the nationwide school-feeding programme—the Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)—in India as its anchor, this paper critically evaluates the use of schools as sites for discharging social policies. Data from semi structured interviews (N=26) and focus groups (N=8) conducted in a north Indian village provide evidence that the community distrusts the central and the regional governments and regards state run schools as deficient institutions. In such a social climate, the community perceived the MDMS as an evil governmental design to distract poor people from education. Such representations, the paper argues, further erode the faith of the community in state run schools. Crucially, data from the study indicate that the MDMS has contributed to a shift in community representations of schools from being a site for imparting education to that of an institution providing free meals. It is argued that such a shift in community representations of schools may hinder the agenda of promoting education in disadvantaged settings. The paper concludes by identifying two critical considerations in using schools as the site of social policy: (a) the symbolic environments of meaning making which inform local interpretations of policies; and (b) the local meaning making and representations that communities develop of new or existing social policies. The theory of social representation informs the arguments made in this paper.

Suggested Citation

  • Chauhan, Apurv, 2015. "Plates for slates: The impact of a school feeding programme on community representations of schools," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 292-300.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:41:y:2015:i:c:p:292-300
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.07.013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dreze, Jean & Goyal, Aparajita, 2003. "Future of Mid-Day Meals," MPRA Paper 17386, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Jean Drèze & Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, 2001. "School Participation in Rural India," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(1), pages 1-24, February.
    3. Gounder, Rukmani & Xing, Zhongwei, 2012. "Impact of education and health on poverty reduction: Monetary and non-monetary evidence from Fiji," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 787-794.
    4. Hanan G. Jacoby, 2002. "Is There an Intrahousehold "Flypaper Effect"? Evidence From a School Feeding Programme," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 112(476), pages 196-221, January.
    5. Kapur Mehta, Aasha & Shah, Amita, 2003. "Chronic Poverty in India: Incidence, Causes and Policies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 491-511, March.
    6. Afridi, Farzana, 2010. "Child welfare programs and child nutrition: Evidence from a mandated school meal program in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 152-165, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Skovdal, Morten & Campbell, Catherine, 2015. "Beyond education: What role can schools play in the support and protection of children in extreme settings?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 175-183.

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