Education Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation

for sustained economic growth. Serving food at school not only helps alleviate hunger among the worlds poorest children, it also helps get them into school, providing them with an important key to a better future an education. Where school meals programs are offered, enrollment and attendance rates increase significantly, particularly for girls. Students also stay in school longer. Academic performance improves, as well; students with a full stomach concentrate better and comprehend material more quickly from improved cognitive abilities. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE), passed by the Indian parliament in August of 2009, allows for the provision of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April 2010. The Akshaya Patra Foundation applauds the Indian government for making education a priority. Studies have demonstrated the direct relationship between nutrition and learning. Children cannot learn if they are hungry. Hence, school meal programs are very important.

Global Statistics Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. (The state of the worlds children, UNICEF, 1999) There are 268 million illiterate people in India, unable to read or write; almost a third of the worlds total number. (UNESCO, 2007) For every year of education, wages increase by a worldwide average of 10 percent (The World Bank) The percentage of children who are severely underweight is almost five times higher among children whose mothers have no education than among children whose mothers have 12 or more years of schooling. (UNICEF) India Statistics 26.8 million primary school-age children in India are not in school (UNICEF) 40 percent of children in India drop out of school before reaching grade 5 (UNICEF)

The number of working children in India in the age group of 5-14 years is 12.59 million keeping them from receiving an education (India Ministry of Labor and Employment)