By Ashutosh Mishra
Bhubaneswar: Odisha government’s move to relieve teachers of the responsibility of mid-day meal (MDM) management in schools seems to be aimed both at improving the quality of teaching and the fare being served to the students. Both are equally important.
While teachers had for quite some time been complaining about the extra burden of overseeing MDM affecting their primary job of teaching the quality of meals being served to the students had also come under the scanner. Even parents in certain areas had brought the issue of “substandard” meals to the notice of the school authorities.
Handing over the job of MDM management to women self-help groups (WSHGs) will leave teachers with no excuses about the poor quality of teaching if such complaints arise. There is no denying that they ought to focus exclusively on shaping the future of their wards which is of paramount importance in a scenario where the standard of education both at primary and high school levels seems to have gone south.
The other objective of providing students with nutritious food is as important as raising the quality of teaching in schools. In fact, when the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, popularly known as the Mid-day Meal Programme was launched in the country on August 15, 1995 it aimed as much at boosting universalisation of primary education by increasing enrolment, retention and attendance as on improving the nutritional status of children studying in classes I to VIII.
In Odisha, Mid-day Meal programme was introduced in 1995 as a nutrition intervention programme covering more than 60,000 primary schools for the benefit of around 60 lakh students. Running with Centre’s support it has a well-established procedure that takes care of the scheme right from the stage of allotment of foodgrains to the actual cooking and serving of meals to the students in schools.
Studies testify to the success of the scheme in increasing attendance in schools, reducing the drop out rate and also boosting the process of socialisation among students, especially students from poor and underprivileged backgrounds. One of these studies conducted in 2003 had found that with additional resources and quality safeguards, the scheme could play a major role not only in improving school attendance but also eliminating classroom hunger and fostering social equity.
As for the nutritional side of the scheme, one of the studies concluded that its impact on the children’s health would depend to a large extent on whether the meals were a supplement or a substitute for food intake at home both in terms of quality and quantity.
These are significant observations and underscore the need for successful implementation of the programme with the twin objectives of improving attendance in schools and enhancing the health status of students. State government’s decision to entrust SHGs with the running of MDM can significantly impact both these goals. At the same time, it will help teachers focus exclusively on the job of teaching and thus improve the standard of primary education which remains a matter of concern.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same)