Hyderabad:The newly-unveiled policy document for education has called for a single nodal agency to deal with one of the more pressing problems in government-run schools – that of mid-day meals – while calling for a comprehensive overhaul of all systems associated with the scheme.
In addition to setting up a new corporation for centralised procurement of all food materials required for residential institutions, along with other materials such as stationery and cosmetic items, the Telangana Education Commission, in its ‘Education Policy for Telangana, 2026, Vision for Inclusive Excellence’, has also called for a substantial increase in the budget for the meals served to students from Classes I to X, noting that the present rates do not reflect the actual costs for various foods. Further, the TEC said the government should set up a centralised online payments system to ensure that workers involved in preparing the meals are paid on time.
Noting that “several unfortunate incidents” occurred over the past decade in the mid-day meal scheme in both in day schools and residential institutions, the TEC identified lack or absence of kitchen facilities, potential for contamination of food, and also pointed out that in absence of uniform quality of rice supplied, the meals were becoming unappealing for students.
More significantly, the report flagged the lack of safe drinking water for drinking and cooking, adversely affecting thequality of food preparation and, “in some instances, leading to health issues among students.”
The TEC recommended increasing the annual budget for the mid-day meal scheme which it said was around Rs 151 crore to around Rs 152 crore a year for students up to class X, while recommending inclusion of intermediate students which is said will require another Rs 39 crore a year. The TEC findings reveal that for various reasons, including poor quality of the food, of the 16.86 lakh enrolled students, around 3.37 lakh do not eat the provided meals.
The policy document also listed comprehensive guideline for creating standard operating procedures for every step involved in providing mid-day meals to students, adding that complaint boxes must be installed at every school where the scheme is implemented and that every complaint is addressed to ensure that those flagging issues feel confident that problems are being addressed.
Telangana Education Commission findings
Inadequate rates for food materials
Lack of storage for materials, kitchen facilities
Food contamination
Low quality rice being supplied
Prescribed menu not being followed
Delayed payments to vendors, workers
Centralized kitchens not effective
Lack of safe drinking water
Absence of feedback mechanisms
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
