Pvt school quota students may get mid-day meal

The mid-day meal scheme department,responsible for providing meals to children in government schools under the Right of all Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act

The mid-day meal scheme department,responsible for providing meals to children in government schools under the Right of all Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act,2009,is considering extending the programme to students in private schools who have been admitted under the mandatory 25 per cent quota for those belonging to disadvantaged sections.

The departmental committee,which has agreed that the provision applies to children in private schools as well,is debating ways to implement it. Along with mid-day meal,the students under the 25 per cent reservation category,are also entitled to free textbooks and uniforms.

The interesting fact is no private and unaided schools has demanded we provide it. We are contemplating ways to do it in the right way. The guidelines say we do it but we are wondering how to address the equity question in terms of the rest of the students who may come from affluent backgrounds, a MDMS official said.

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The options that are being considered include involving NGOs to provide and serve the food,the official said. In rural areas,NGOs cant be involved as per the guidelines as the MDMS also aims at involving the community at village level. In schools with canteens,we can give money in advance for meals for such children or where there are no canteens,will give money to build kitchen sheds, the official said.

The committee agreed in principle that it is the states duty to provide mid-day meal to children enrolled in its schools and that includes the children admitted under the 25 per cent reservation aimed at removing disparity in access to opportunity earlier this year. The government will reimburse the cost of the meal along with cooking cost to private schools,but yet another issue the states face is the cost of meals in canteens that are functioning in upscale schools that cater to wealthy classes,he said. It is not our duty to subsidise cost of food for all students. We are not responsible for the other 75 per cent, he said.

The committee is yet to submit its recommendations on the issue to the Union HRD Minister. It will be part of the 12th five-year plan and recommendations will be submitted to the minister next year, the official said.

MDMS department will introduce a monitoring mechanism using cloud telephony from December 31. This is being done on the lines of what UP had adopted in 2009. Under this system,the department will call teachers and ask the number of students who took meal on that day and then collect the data by evening. A computer-generated voice will ask teachers to punch in the number of students who were served the meal. If the teacher presses zero,he will have to give a reason: 1. Cook was absent 2. Non availability of raw material 3. Transportation problems 4. Other reason.

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