AURANGABAD: The Marathwada Headmasters' Association
(MHA) - which counts 35,000 headmasters as members, including 7,000
from the eight districts of Marathwada - has decided to boycott the
midday meal scheme from Friday, demanding that the teaching staff be
exempted from the work of implementing the scheme. As per Union
government guidelines, headmasters and teaching staff are supposed to
look after the scheme.
"We have decided to boycott the government's midday meal programme, since it is taking a direct toll on the academic routine of headmasters. And there is always a risk of facing punishment if anything goes wrong," Yunus Patel, president, Marathwada Headmasters' Association, told TOI on Saturday.
"We have repeatedly requested the government to involve teachers only in academic work and not cooking and feeding of midday meals to students. We are not against the scheme, but all we want is that an agency should be appointed to take care of the midday meals programme, so that the headmasters do the work they are hired for," added Patel. He said that the boycott will continue till the government comes up with reforms in its policies related to midday meals.
Aurangabad division deputy director education Sukhdev Dere downplayed the MHA boycott. "Only the headmasters of the private aided and unaided schools are participating in the boycott, whereas all the government and local administration-run schools are effectively implementing the midday meal scheme," Dere told TOI.
The headmasters have been directed to supervise the cooking and feeding of the midday meals to the students. "No one has asked them to cook, as is being claimed by them. We are waiting for the government nod to initiate action against the headmasters who are defying the directives," added Dere.
After the midday meal mishap in Bihar claimed the life of 23 students in July, the commissionorate of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) had shot notices to the education department, the women's welfare department and child development programme officers across the state to take extra care in the preparation and serving of midday meals across schools. The notices directed the officials concerned to follow the norms laid down in Schedule IV of the notification of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, dated August 2011.
Citing the notification, education officers for primary education, secondary education, municipal corporations, municipal councils, officials of the women and child welfare department and child development programme officers across the state were asked to make sure that the food business operators (FBOs; the ones preparing and supplying mid-day meals) strictly follow hygienic and sanitary practices, including food safety measures.
"We have decided to boycott the government's midday meal programme, since it is taking a direct toll on the academic routine of headmasters. And there is always a risk of facing punishment if anything goes wrong," Yunus Patel, president, Marathwada Headmasters' Association, told TOI on Saturday.
"We have repeatedly requested the government to involve teachers only in academic work and not cooking and feeding of midday meals to students. We are not against the scheme, but all we want is that an agency should be appointed to take care of the midday meals programme, so that the headmasters do the work they are hired for," added Patel. He said that the boycott will continue till the government comes up with reforms in its policies related to midday meals.
Aurangabad division deputy director education Sukhdev Dere downplayed the MHA boycott. "Only the headmasters of the private aided and unaided schools are participating in the boycott, whereas all the government and local administration-run schools are effectively implementing the midday meal scheme," Dere told TOI.
The headmasters have been directed to supervise the cooking and feeding of the midday meals to the students. "No one has asked them to cook, as is being claimed by them. We are waiting for the government nod to initiate action against the headmasters who are defying the directives," added Dere.
After the midday meal mishap in Bihar claimed the life of 23 students in July, the commissionorate of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) had shot notices to the education department, the women's welfare department and child development programme officers across the state to take extra care in the preparation and serving of midday meals across schools. The notices directed the officials concerned to follow the norms laid down in Schedule IV of the notification of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, dated August 2011.
Citing the notification, education officers for primary education, secondary education, municipal corporations, municipal councils, officials of the women and child welfare department and child development programme officers across the state were asked to make sure that the food business operators (FBOs; the ones preparing and supplying mid-day meals) strictly follow hygienic and sanitary practices, including food safety measures.
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