Original title: Gansu: free nutritious meals for more than 1.5 million rural students

Xinhua News Agency reporters Jiang Weichao, Wang Zixuan and Zhang Zhimin

At noon, the bell rings. Students who had been listening attentively all morning rushed out of the classroom to the canteen. Wang Rui and his friends walked in the middle of the line, discussing the sauteed meat with garlic sprouts and sauteed bottle gourd they were going to eat. As a rule, the school always announces the recipe one week in advance. The nutritious and varied hot meals are the "magic weapon" for the students who are growing up.

Students of Kongtong Junior High School in Kongtong Town, Pingliang City, Gansu Province are enjoying a free nutritious lunch in the school canteen. Photographed by Zhang Zhimin, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

Wang Rui is a junior high school student in Kongtong Town, Kongtong District, Pingliang City, Gansu Province. Since the primary school, she has enjoyed a free nutritious meal with meat and vegetables in the school canteen every noon. "I like the beef steamed bun in the school best." Wang Rui, a rural child, was satisfied with the school lunch, which was full of meat and not repeated every day.

In order to improve the health level of rural students, the state launched the nutrition improvement plan for rural compulsory education students in 2011. Since 2012, Gansu has gradually included the original 58 contiguous extremely poor counties and the original 28 non contiguous extremely poor counties into the implementation scope, providing free nutritious meals to students in the rural compulsory education stage.

Students of Zhaizijie Central Primary School in Kongtong Town, Kongtong District, Pingliang City, Gansu Province are enjoying a free nutritious lunch in the school canteen. Photographed by Zhang Zhimin, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

"Affected by the economic situation and living habits, the rural children at that time almost didn't eat breakfast, and the most common thing was dry steamed buns and a mouthful of boiled water. We started from providing nutritious breakfast, and added eggs and milk." Li Qinjun, who was once the head of the student nutrition improvement management station in Kongtong District, said that from purchasing "dry food" such as bread and biscuits, to selecting enterprises to process them in the school canteen, It also distributes fresh egg milk, cakes and fruits, and then promotes nutritious lunch for 92.9% of the rural compulsory education schools in the whole district to meet the needs of left behind children.

In recent years, Gansu has vigorously promoted the construction, reconstruction and expansion of rural compulsory primary and secondary school canteens, and schools have independently provided diversified meals with balanced nutrition. By the end of 2023, the catering rate of school canteens across the province has reached 96.57%. "Now, the operation funds are borne by the district finance, and the food subsidies of 5 yuan per day for each student have more balanced nutrition in the mouth of the children, and also reduced the family burden of students." Liu Xiaoyong, full-time supervisor of the Kongtong District Education Steering Committee Office, said.

In Pingliang No. 1 Middle School, Guo Jialing, a sophomore who had just finished class, ran to the reporter. Over the years, she has walked out of the mountain step by step from Zhaizijie Central Primary School and Kongtong Junior High School in her hometown, and has always maintained the first grade in her class.

"When I was in primary school, I was responsible for giving breakfast to everyone. Those eggs and milk are hard to eat at ordinary times, and they are hot in my hand," Guo Jialing said. Now, she has formed the habit of eating breakfast, choosing her favorite taste from the dazzling breakfast in the canteen.

Guo Jialing (first from left) and his classmates are walking in the campus of Pingliang No. 1 Middle School. Photographed by Zhang Zhimin, reporter of Xinhua News Agency

At present, Gansu has achieved the full coverage of the nutrition improvement plan in rural areas, benefiting 1.528 million students in 8097 schools, including 20.264 million students including Wang Rui and Guo Jialing. According to statistics, the height and weight of students in rural compulsory education areas in Gansu are increasing, and the growth retardation rate has decreased from 8.0% in 2012 to 2.25%.

"Now, children's problems such as calcium deficiency, iron deficiency and anemia are no longer prominent, and their physique has improved, as evidenced by the increase in physical examination scores in the third day of junior high school year by year." Many teachers interviewed said that rural children now have better physical quality, more agile thinking, more full of heart and broader vision.