One in three children don't have proper breakfast

One in three children in Sri Lanka don't have a proper breakfast

by Dithmini De Silva 15-05-2023 | 10:13 AM

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Alleviating the Impact of the Economic Crisis said it was revealed that one in three school students of Sri Lanka do not have a sufficient meal for breakfast or don't have breakfast.

Chairman MP Gamini Waleboda said of the 4.5 million school students in Sri Lanka, around 1.4 million students fall under this category.

He said it is affecting the children's health and may impact their physical and mental growth.

MP Waleboda said if the food crisis is not resolved Sri Lanka's future workforce will not meet the expected physical and mental capabilities.

He further said one in five children are malnourished.

The MP said in 2019 a family spent 32 percent of their income on food, adding it has exceeded 75 percent at present.

He said children not having a sufficient meal for breakfast or not having breakfast after families spend 75 percent of their income on food is a dangerous situation.