Schools across Bhutan are taking steps to improve students’ eating habits by introducing varied menus, promoting healthier food choices and growing vegetables on campus. While these initiatives are helping schools provide nutritious meals and reduce dependence on external food supplies, ensuring consistent implementation of nutrition guidelines remains a challenge.
At Damphu Central School in Tsirang, meal planning takes into account students’ preferences while maintaining variety in their diets. The school regularly serves meat, eggs and milk, alongside vegetables sourced partly from its own agriculture programme.
Suk Bdr. Layo Monger, a cook at the school, said chicken is particularly popular among students, while boys generally prefer pork.
Keshab Bhandari, the school’s mess captain, said students eagerly anticipate meals that include meat. He added that the school makes efforts to provide organic food, including vegetables grown through its agriculture programme.
A similar approach is being adopted at Ridaza Primary School in Monggar, where the menu is changed regularly to prevent students from losing interest in their meals.
Teacher Sangay Wangdi said serving the same dishes repeatedly can affect students’ enthusiasm for school meals. Although fruits are popular among children, maintaining a regular supply is difficult, particularly during the off-season.
The school also considers individual dietary requirements when planning meals. Principal Singye said parents are consulted when students avoid certain types of meat to determine whether the restrictions are related to health concerns or personal preferences.
For some children, school meals provide access to foods they may not consume as frequently at home.
Kinzang Pema Wangmo, the school captain at Ridaza Primary School, said students are served meat more often at school than in their households.
Alongside improvements in school meals, efforts are being made to discourage unhealthy eating habits.
At Chumey Central School in Bumthang, teachers educate students about the harmful effects of excessive junk food consumption. The school also conducts checks at its entrance to prevent students from bringing junk food onto the campus.
Other schools are focusing on producing their own food as a way to improve meal quality and strengthen food security.
At Genekha Primary School in Thimphu, the school agriculture programme allows students and teachers to grow vegetables for school consumption.
Teacher Sonam Dorji said such initiatives help schools become more self-reliant by reducing their dependence on outside suppliers. Growing vegetables on campus also creates opportunities to practise organic farming.
However, providing balanced and appealing meals across schools requires more than individual initiatives. Food availability, seasonal shortages, student preferences and dietary requirements all influence what schools can serve.
At the national level, a school feeding technical committee is responsible for guiding decisions related to school nutrition.
Hari Prasad Pokhrel, Nutrition Specialist at the Ministry of Health, said the committee oversees technical matters, including revisions to school menus and the development of guidelines aimed at improving school feeding programmes.
Translating these guidelines into consistent practices across the country, however, remains a major undertaking.
Sangay Chophel, Chief Programme Officer at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, said providing orientation and ensuring implementation across more than 500 schools presents significant logistical challenges.
The ministry relies on district education officers and school principals to communicate guidelines and support their implementation at the school level.
Despite the existence of policies and technical guidance, Sangay Chophel acknowledged that putting them into practice consistently remains difficult.
The experiences of schools in Tsirang, Monggar, Bumthang and Thimphu highlight how approaches to improving student nutrition vary according to local circumstances and available resources.
From adjusting menus and consulting parents to restricting junk food and cultivating vegetables, schools are increasingly playing a role in shaping children’s relationship with food.
Yet the challenge remains to ensure that such efforts are not limited to individual schools, but become a consistent part of school feeding practices across Bhutan.
