Government Decree No. 205 validating the State program for the development of school feeding in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022-2027.

State program for the development of school nutrition in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022-2027 was elaborated with a view of introducing effective mechanisms for ensuring food security, creating favorable conditions for maintaining and strengthening public health, improving student learning outcomes through the sustainable development of school feeding in the Republic of Tajikistan, social protection and improving student participation in the learning process. School feeding is important for the social, physical and intellectual development of schoolchildren, and also has a positive effect on learning outcomes in general education institutions.
The Program was developed taking into account the following four priority areas for the development of school feeding: (a) improving the management system for organizing school feeding; (b) modernization of the material and technical base of facilities and power supplies in educational institutions; (c) ensuring the quality and balance of school meals according to the age and physiological needs of students; and (d) formation of a culture of healthy nutrition among students of general education institutions.
The quality of school meals depends on sustainable access to potable water, electricity and heating and a developed transport infrastructure. Currently, only about a third of educational institutions are consistently supplied with drinking water. The problems of school nutrition development are intersectoral and their solution requires coordinated efforts of various government bodies.
To achieve the set goals, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: (a) identify stable sources of financing the school nutrition system; (b) restore the infrastructure of school canteens, including provision thereof with potable water, electricity and heating; (c) equip catering units with modern technological equipment for the preparation and delivery of school meals; (d) start training and retraining of personnel directly related to the organization of school meals; and (e) develop public-private partnership mechanisms, involve local farmers in the supply of food as full participants in the school nutrition system.
The implementation of the Program shall be assessed using the following target indicators: (a) the level of coverage of primary school students with hot lunches; (b) share of school canteens equipped with modern technological equipment; (c) the share of educational institutions that provide balanced diets using products enriched with vitamins and micronutrients; (d) the share of educational institutions that have introduced new forms of nutrition; (e) the proportion of school canteen staff with the necessary qualifications; (f) the proportion of heads of educational institutions and teachers who have completed advanced training courses on healthy nutrition culture; and (g) the share of participation of local farmers and entrepreneurs in the school feeding system.