BHOMA/ MADKAIM (PONDA): “It’s meal time at Mahandandu Memorial High School, near Bhoma, Ponda. The teachers have a task at hand before getting a taste of their own lunches, to check the quality of meals served to children.” The meal is served by Mangueshi-based Mahila Ekta Self Help Group.
A register is also maintained, where a daily remark over the quality of the food is given, which in maximum cases, is termed ‘satisfactory’.
But some people are missing here. The ones who should be here – parents. PTAs who led the attacks on government, self help groups (SHG) and the educational institutions over poor quality of mid-day meals, do not want themselves to be part of their child safety when it comes to providing meal in the schools, a ground reality exposed during a visit to various government aided, unaided and private schools in Ponda taluka.
“PTAs do not want to take any responsibility of mid-day meal. Despite several requests, not a single member of PTA comes to school to taste the quality of the food,” Medha Desai, a senior teacher associated with Mahandandu Memorial High School, told HERALD. She said that either a teacher or the principal tastes food and if found below average, then the same is sent back with a remark.
“However, they do come to counter sign the mid-day meal monthly bill, which is also done without any verification,” Desai said lamenting ‘government and institutes are always at the receiving end, when cases of food poisoning are reported.
When asked, members of the PTAs have given their jobs or house hold work as reasons for not taking a more proactive role in the mid-day meals scheme. With nearly 80 per cent of parents being working parents, they say that they have no time to come to school and verify the quality of the food that is been served to their kids.
Harsha Rajput, a PTA member of government primary school, said that ‘most of the parents are working parents and they don’t have time to come and taste the food quality. We have faith in teachers’.
Following a series of food poisoning cases, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had made it clear that ‘government cannot look into everything’ and had made it mandatory for PTAs to taste the quality of food and sign the counter bills. It was also suggested that schools should have their own kitchen and PTAs should get themselves involved in preparing the meal, while government will provide all funding.
However, this suggestion was also not welcomed by PTAs. “Not just once, but thrice during PTA meetings, we had raised the issue and suggested that school should have its own kitchen. However, the PTA showed no interest. They want to keep themselves away from all responsibilities,” Sampurna Govekar, headmistress, government primary school, said.
In schools at Madkaim, Priol and surrounding areas, the experience was similar. Institutions are of the opinion that along with government, schools, it is the uttermost duty of parents to ensure safety of their kids. “They are there to blame teachers or government but not to take the responsibility,” Neha Madkaikar, a primary teacher said.
