Mid day meal: Government aided schools flouting norms

The mid day meal (MDM) scheme has been repeatedly hit by allegations of corruption and lack of hygiene. Now, dna tours the BMC schools or the aided ones in the city to find that not only is there blatant violation of norms, but also siphoning of good ration to replace them with sub-standard things is still rampant.

The state government's resolution clearly states that children must be given khichdi in their mid day meals throughout the week along with fruits, soyabiscuits, chikki, rajgiri ladoo, jaggery, groundnuts once a week. However, though BMC schools give khichdi everyday, they also give glucose and cream biscuits once a week with the khichdi, and aided schools give khichdi someday and also give puri bhaji, pav bhaji, poha and on Saturdays, which is a half day, give only biscuits that too glucose ones and not soyabiscuits.

While the GR mention that idli sambar chatni can be provided, it does not clearly states if it has to be provided with khichdi or separately as a meal.

Some city schools reveal that khichdi is not a regular meal as children don’t like to eat the same thing everyday. Neela Maher, principal of VC Gurukul High School in Ghatkopar, said, “Our children don’t like eating khichdi everyday. Hence, we provide them with different varieties of rice and sometimes, once a month, with idli chatni, puri bhaji, pav bhaji and on Saturdays six pieces of glucose biscuits.” VC Gurukul High School is provided midday meal by Priyadarshani Indira Mahila Sanstha.

Fr. George Athaide, principal of aided St. Michael High School, Mahim, said, "We most of the times give variety of khichdi to our school students, but sometimes they are also given noodles. We don't give biscuits to our children."

Arundhati Chauhan, United Forum, president of Parent Teachers Association, said, "It is a known fact that the mid day meal scheme has been hit by scams. First, the good quality rice is sold and the contractors buy poor quality to make khichdi for children. Secondly, instead of soya biscuits, most of the schools provide glucose biscuits. There is a lot of difference between soya and glucose biscuits. Soya is high quality protein compare to glucose. Teachers will first keep some biscuit packets from the stock and distribute the rest. Some schools, in nexus with contractors, also show the number of students being served meals to be more than the actual figure."

An official from BMC School of western suburb on condition of anonymity, said, “We provide meals according to the government instructions. There is khichdi everyday, with soya beans to vegetables like mutter in it. Only on Wednesdays, along with khichdi, we provide glucose biscuits.”

Experts feel that the midday meal norms are flouted not only by BMC schools but also by most of the aided schools. On other hand, the school management committee (SMC) either does not exist in many schools or they are not monitoring the MDM that leads to bad quality of meals provided to students.

Expert comments:
Dr Richa Singh, SMC member from NGO (CACR) Citizens Association for Child Rights, said, “In my school our active SMC members monitor the kitchens of the contractors that provide mid day meal to children of BMC schools. We have complained in the past to the BMC authorities about the poor quality of MDM, after which the MDM contractor is supplying better food. It is the responsibility of a principal to complaint to the BMC education official if the meal is not provided according to government norms. It has been observed that most of the schools either don’t have SMC's or the SMC members don't monitor the quality of MDM. We are also in talking terms with education department to improve the quality and variety in meal.”

Doctors opinion:
Dr Samir Dalwai, developmental pediatrician, said: “Children from poor vegetarian families especially suffer from lack of micro-nutrients. Both a balanced meal from nutrition point of view and a tasty and diverse menu are important for children. The critical issue is to monitor each. Since the logistics involved are too large for micro monitoring it is essential that punishment for corruption in this segment is exemplary enough to be a deterrent.”

Echoing the sentiments of Dalwai, Dr Mona Gajre, pediatrician, said: “Some biscuits may just provide carbohydrates. The most ignored food in children's meal is vitamin, minerals and trace elements which are present in vegetables and fruits. And if vegetables are not provided to them in food then the meal may not prove to be that healthy for children.”
BMC official speak:
Senior civic officials from the BMC informed that there are zonal check-ups once a week to check the midday meals given to students. “The biscuits are complementary to the main meal supplied to them. If we find any schools providing only biscuits as a meal, we will take required action,” a senior civic official from the education department said.