Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Quashing a popular belief, a report has revealed that students attending government schools in the national capital have better access to nutritious food than their counterparts in private schools. The Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), which compiled the report titled Survey of Fruits, Vegetables and Juice Intake of School Children, Nutritionists and Dieticians, found that students in government schools consumed around 250 grams of vegetables in a day while those in private schools had only 210 grams.

The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, recommends that a person should consume at least 300 grams of vegetables a day. Of this, according to NIN guidelines, 50 grams each must constitute leafy vegetables and tubers, while 200 grams should be other vegetables. The institute also recommends intake of 100 grams of fresh fruits.

“Schoolchildren need maximum nutrition and deficiency of micronutrients leads to fatigued learning. Non-consumption of vegetables leads to deficiency of micronutrients, which significantly affects learning abilities. Hence, it is important for schoolchildren to have the required amount of vegetables (micronutrients),” said Dr YG Deosthale, former director of NIN.

The ICRIER, as a part of the survey, studied the dietary habits of 98, 596 students across 36 government schools and 54 private schools in the city. The students were from Class V to Class XII.The survey found no significant difference in the intake of fruits and vegetables between girls and boys. “More than 56 per cent students enrolled in Classes V to XII in Delhi-NCR consumed lesser green vegetables than what is mandated. And, only over one-fourth of the students ate fruits daily,” the report said.

However, according to the report, students in private schools consumed more fruits that those enrolled in government schools. “While 34 per cent of students enrolled in private schools ate fruits daily, only 25 per cent of those in government schools consumed fruits,” the report said.

The principal of a private school said that it was not the school’s duty to instruct kids on what to eat. “Almost all students eat what they are told to by parents. What we can do is to make them aware of the benefits of healthy eating. But, in the end they will follow the dietary routine of their house,” she said.

Officials of the Delhi government’s education department could not be reached to answer queries.