More than 13,000 students go hungry in C. Java

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga

At least 13,283 elementary school students in the Central Java regency of Purbalingga were facing malnutrition, according to local officials.

The figure was based on data gathered by the town's health and social welfare office headed by Dyah Retnani since January.

Retnani said on Monday that the malnutrition mainly stemmed from the local people's battered economic condition as a result of the nation's prolonged crisis.

She said the badly malnourished students were spread almost evenly among the 560 elementary schools throughout Purbalingga, adding that they represented some 12.5 percent of the total number of pupils.

"Although, the number of malnourished students is only 12.5 percent of the total number of students, the local government has to provide intensive care for them. It should be dealt with seriously for our future," Retnani added.

She said that in an effort to address the problem and improve the students' nutrition, the Purbalingga administration would provide additional food for elementary school students this year.

The move, called 'the Additional Food Program for School Students (PMTAS)', was a rescue effort aimed at malnourished pupils from poor families, she added.

She stressed that the program will focus on efforts to increase the nutrition of elementary school students.

Under the program, victims will receive additional food from a standardized nutrition menu containing 300 more calories and six more grams of protein than their healthier classmates.

The food will be provided to students during their break time each day.

"The standard menu will be adjusted to the students' health condition, their taste and their choices of existing foods they like," Retnani said.

Apart from additional food, she said the students would each be given vitamin and iron supplements to improve red blood cell counts -- vital for muscle and brain development -- once a week, and their health development would be intensively monitored.

"The program will officially start in mid June, involving nutrition experts, doctors from local community health centers and school teachers," Retnani said.