There is good news for school-going children in Odisha. With schools having reopened in the state from February 28, the government is now all set to resume the Mid-Day Meals (MDM) scheme for children from next month. This is the first time in two years that the such meals will be offered to students since they were halted on March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to knowledgeable sources, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in this regard has been announced by the School and Mass Education department. Apart from the meals, the schools will also provide iron-folic acid tablets once a week to students from Classes I to VIII. These tablets will be administered every Monday after the meals.
According to the SOP, the school management authorities and central kitchen agencies have been asked to get their facilities in place for preparing the meals for the students from April. Additionally, the grocery that was left over since 2020 due to the pandemic will also be put under an edibility test to check if it can still be consumed. The stock that has expired will be duly noted by the school authorities and then buried.
Social distancing norms will be adhered to by distributing the meals in a staggered manner to various grades. COVID-19 SOPs will also have to be followed by the staff engaged in preparing the meals, said the authorities. The staff will be supervised by members of the School Management Committees and Parents Teachers Associations, after the department’s decision to include these bodies in the MDM process.
Similar guidelines have also been issued for central kitchen agencies or NGOs that are engaged in the MDM process. Currently, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Maana Trust, Damodar Jew Sevayatan, Mahila Sahayika Sangha, People’s Forum and Bagdanga Paschim Gheri Bishalaxmi Club are engaged in cooking and delivering MDM in schools.
Although states across the country have been running mid-day meal programmes financially supported by the Centre, the one being implemented by the Odisha government is supposed to be the best. While the food served to the children in the school is of excellent quality as it passes through a rigorous quality test, the MDS programme in the state has been highly successful in reducing the dropout rate in schools.
According to available statistics, attendance in schools across the state improved significantly in the wake of the MDM programme. In the initial years of its implementation the programme did go through some hiccups, but the government learnt from these experiences and ensured that quality food is served to students so that they get the required nutrition and also feel motivated to attend classes. The Chief Minister and the team of officials implementing the programme deserve all the praise for it.
Comment here