Keralam is considering extending its school midday meal programme to students up to Plus Two, while also introducing breakfast alongside lunch, General Education Minister N Samsudheen said on Tuesday.

At present, the centrally sponsored PM POSHAN scheme covers students from Classes 1 to 8 in government and government-aided schools. Keralam has already conveyed its consent to the Centre on extending the programme to Classes 9 to 12, following discussions with the Union government in July.

The latest proposal would therefore bring higher secondary students into the school meal programme for the first time under the expanded arrangement. Samsudheen said the government would take the necessary steps to implement the extension.

The breakfast component is also part of the Centre's proposed expansion of PM POSHAN. Samsudheen had said in July that Keralam was prepared to include breakfast if the scheme was extended to Classes 9 to 12.

Keralam already has experience with school breakfast programmes. According to a state government publication, breakfast was being provided in around 2,200 schools by the end of 2024, alongside the midday meal programme that covered about 30 lakh children in government and aided schools up to Class 8.

The proposed expansion comes as the state continues to deal with the costs of running its existing school meal programme. In July, reports from schools highlighted difficulties caused by rising prices of cooking gas, milk, eggs and other food items, as well as delays in payments to cooking staff. Some schools reported relying on credit, PTA support and other local contributions to keep meals running.

The state has also recently allowed schools greater flexibility in deciding their midday meal menus. Under revised guidelines for the current academic year, school midday meal committees can frame menus based on available funds and students' preferences, rather than following the more elaborate mandatory menu introduced by the previous administration.

Keralam's 2026 development report describes the midday meal programme as part of the state's wider education and food-security system. The programme provides cooked meals with rice, pulses, vegetables, eggs and, in some cases, milk or fruit, with the state contributing a higher share towards the programme than the Union government.

If implemented, extending meals through Class 12 would make school-based nutrition support available across the entire school cycle, while adding breakfast would expand the programme from a single daily meal to two meals for participating students. The government has not yet announced a final implementation date or the financial structure for the proposed expansion.