TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The education ministry on Saturday disclosed that self help groups commissioned to prepare mid-day meal for school children will have to radically improve hygiene as ADEIs are set to monitor them.
The additional director of education, Anil Powar said, “We are likely to call all the ADEIs next week to take stock of the situation as far as self help groups are concerned on the hygiene front.”
The education ministry is awaiting a report from the FDA on the latest incident of suspected food poisoning at Usgao, as samples have already been taken for testing.
A total of 800 SHGs were asked to participate in a special workshop held recently by the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition, in a bid to enlighten them on hygiene in preparation of mid-day meals which was financially supported by Human Resource Development ministry.
The education ministry is now irked over the increasing problems relating to the mid day meal scheme as two incidents ~one of food poisoning and another pertaining to indigestion have been reported over the last one month alone.
Following the Bihar food poisoning incident, the Goa education ministry said that the situation was better than elsewhere in the country.
“In fact the Project Assessment Committee for the mid-day meal scheme has given a good report as far as the implementation of the scheme in Goa is concerned,” Powar said.
“We are however still working out a new menu and the college of home science has been asked to work out a menu for the scheme,” he said.
It is learnt that some recommendations have already been received but are being improved upon, according to sources.
Powar said that there are cases where students are not willing to eat mid-day meal and there is no compulsion on anyone. “We however have to implement the scheme as per the Supreme Court directives,” the additional director said.
