Team Herald
CANACONA: Fearing food poisoning, a large number of parents in Canacona have advised their children not to eat midday meals provided in schools.
According to the parents the food supplied to the schools is unpalatable and is prepared in unhygienic condition by the suppliers.
Few years ago, school children were admitted to hospitals after they consumed contaminated food and it was followed by incidents wherein children found dead lizards and cockroaches in the food packets supplied to them.
Many cases of substandard food supplied to the school going children have not been reported by the school administration.
When contacted, Canacona ADEI Ganesh Shet said that he did not receive any complaint about poor quality food from any of the 107 schools in the taluka so far, this year.
He said that around 5500 students from Standard 1 to 8 are provided with midday meal by three groups, namely, Omkar Self Help Group, Surabhi Self Help Group and Astha Self Help Group.
It is learnt that the members of Parents and Teachers Associations from some the schools have asked the Director of Education to find out why substandard food is supplied to their schools.
According to Canacona Municipal Council Chairperson Prathana Naik Gaonkar, the major objective of the midday meal scheme is to make available nutritious food to children so as to develop the grasping power. However, the objective is not achieved, she said.
According to Achiket Desai, the manager of Shri Mallikarjun High School, Char Rasta, Canacona, it is important to revise the financial aspect of the midday meal scheme as the costs of ingredients have risen and thus putting the self help groups in tight spot.
He said that an increase in payment to the groups would lead to quality food.
On the quality checks conducted by the schools, Achiket emphasised that the food is checked daily by the committee that also includes a parent and a school staff. The food is checked for quality before distributing the same to the students, he added.
According to Vasanti Naik Gaonkar, who supplies meal in one of the local schools said, “Most of the times food is prepared under a coconut thatched hut, so insects are most likely to fall into it. We will ask the school authorities to prepare food under a roof.”
According to a headmaster, a weekly menu is displayed on his school notice board giving details on the type of meal served, delivery time, maintenance of midday meal scheme register, type of food containers used and so on.
From the notice, he said, “The visitor will also find out whether the head of the school has checked the quantity and quality while receiving the containers; whether the meal is tested and tasted by the teacher before serving to the students; whether the meal is tested and tasted by the Parents Teachers Association member before serving the same.”
Diliprao, a parent, said that the bread supplied as midday meal in Canacona schools is as small as an egg.
When asked why such a small size bread is served to students, a midday meal supplier said, “The cost of a bread in the open market is Rs 5, I am helpless.”
Soccoro Fernandes, the principal of Vividha Commercial institute, Chaudi, said that the midday meal contracts are given to women groups with political influence.
“Today, due to this scheme, the women associations are well nourished with money, but the food supplied to the students has left the students malnourished and sometimes hospitalised,” Socoro quipped.
