With concerns being raised over the quality of midday meals served in schools, the Department of Primary and Secondary Education is looking at the feasibility of establishing community kitchens at the cluster level, and also setting up more food labs to test and improve the quality of the food.
Speaking to The Hindu , Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait said the State government will call for public private partnerships and invite applications even from non-governmental organisations. There are around 59.49 lakh children in 55,464 government and aided schools across the State. At present, there are 79 centralised kitchens — all run by NGOs — that serve midday meals to 9.8 lakh children. A majority of the meals are cooked in kitchens that are housed in schools.
Keeping tabs on quality
Mr. Sait said that having centralised kitchens will help the department keep tabs on the quality of food served in the schools. “We can check every minute detail, like for instance, if the food has sufficient protein and vitamin,” he said.
However, the system will mean that instead of food being prepared fresh at schools, it will have to be transported from a centralised kitchen to students. The Ministry of Human Resources and Development had recommended that the distance between school and kitchen should not exceed 20 km, but some NGOs cover distances as much as 45 km.
The move has also received opposition from midday meal cooks and workers, as around 1.18 lakh depend on the scheme for employment and are paid honorarium.
State president of the Karnataka Rajya Akshara Dasoha Naukarara Sanga, S. Varalakshmi, said the freshness of the food would be lost if cooked in centralised kitchens. “Thousands of Dalits are employed as cooks and helpers. What will happen to them? Would the government absorb all 1.18 lakh cooks and helpers? Will that be financially viable?” she asked.
Mr. Sait said that cooks and helpers will be given jobs as ayahs and Group D employees in schools. This would ease the burden on teachers from their non-teaching responsibilities.
