The primary and middle schools in West Bengal are finding it difficult to serve mid-day meals to students due to the rise in the prices of essential commodities. This was told by the officials of various schools of the district. The Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association has drawn the attention of the School Education Department to this issue and has demanded an increase in the amount of the existing midday meal allocation for each student so that there is no change in the menu for the children in the midday meal and their nutrition Don’t have to compromise on related aspects. At present Rs 4.97 is being allocated for each child of primary school and Rs 7.45 for each student of middle school. Anand Handa, the headmaster of a middle school in Purba Medinipur district, told PTI on behalf of the association, “We have to change the menu, and now we have to give one boiled egg or egg curry to the students a week, which is the first week. I was given two days.
“However, various school managements are adamant on serving a diet of pulses, soyabean, mixed vegetables, boiled potatoes as we do not want to compromise on the health of our children,” he said, adding that teachers should be given a call in times of crisis. Sometimes you have to bear the expenses out of your own pocket. Handa said that a large number of students are coming to the school after the school campuses are open after the end of the pandemic, but they are facing the possibility of being deprived of the prescribed mid-day meal menu due to the rise in the prices of essential commodities. are. He said, “If 150 grams of rice per day is allotted for a person, then how will the allocation of three kg per month help.” He said, “If 150 grams of rice per day is insufficient for a child, So the allocation of three kg per month is even less, and it is less than the (per day) limit of 150 grams. We demand a hike of at least Rs 50-100 for every child.” Primary schools are from classes 1 to 4, while middle schools are from classes 5 to 8.
Handa said, “We want that children of classes I to VIII should be given lentils regularly according to their health needs.” An official of the education department said that 83,945 students with 1,15,82,658 students Schools are provided free cooked mid-day meals every day and there is no report of the mid-day meal scheme being affected since it was resumed two months ago after a gap of two years. In the last two years, due to the pandemic, packets of rice, soyabean, pulses were distributed among the parents of students of the respective schools on a particular day. In view of the rising prices, there are reports of difficulties being faced in mid-day meals in schools, schools of the Zilla Parishad, Murshidabad, Malda, South 24 Parganas and other districts. In the days before the pandemic, the daily allocation was Rs 4.48 for each student at the primary school level and Rs 6.71 for each student at the middle school level.