In order to improve child nutrition, the Poverty Reduction Strategy adopted by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has called for the initiation of a school feeding programme for primary school children living in poor and disadvantaged families and communities where the prevalence of child malnutrition is high. Accordingly, a pilot feeding programme is planned for implementation in Government and NGO schools in 10 Upazilas in rural Bangladesh with the aim of: 1) enhancing the nutritional status and growth of younger school-going children by reducing micronutrient deficiencies and providing a protein/calorie supplement; 2) improving learning capacity and attentiveness in the classroom; 3) increasing enrollment, attendance and completion rates and 4) supporting the goals of achieving universal primary education and reducing gender disparity.