Dharwad: Primary and secondary school teachers are unhappy over the recent direction by block education officers (BEOs) to be present in their schools to distribute foodgrains and pulses in lieu of midday meals to the students of Class 1-9.
According to the message WhatsApped by BEOs to the heads of the schools, Adamya Chetana, a voluntary organisation that provides midday meals to schools, will distribute packets of rice and pulses instead of cooked food. The message says that the heads of the institutions will be intimated on the date of supply of food items and arrangements should be made to receive them and keep them in hygienic condition. It further says that teachers should ensuring social distancing and distribute the packets with help from cooking assistants.
Teachers have also been asked to take the signature of recipients. In case any student is absent, teachers should deliver the packets to the students’ houses.
“At a time when schools have been given holiday and people are being asked to remain indoors during the lockdown, the exercise of distributing food packets seems illogical,” said a headmaster.
He said the exercise involves assembling of teachers, non-teaching staff and hundreds of students and maintaining social distance becomes a challenge. Many students may not even turn up due to the lockdown. “Asking teachers to deliver the packets to the students’ houses is something ridiculous,” said another teacher.
A doctor involved in containing the spread of Covid-19 said the government intends to ensure that children are not deprived of food, but asking them to collect food packets from the school is like inviting risk. “Instead, the government can distribute the same packets to the families of students through the public distribution system. The officials seem to just pass on the instructions that they receive from their superiors without bothering about the pros and cons,” said the doctor.
Education department’s officers were not available for their comments.
According to the message WhatsApped by BEOs to the heads of the schools, Adamya Chetana, a voluntary organisation that provides midday meals to schools, will distribute packets of rice and pulses instead of cooked food. The message says that the heads of the institutions will be intimated on the date of supply of food items and arrangements should be made to receive them and keep them in hygienic condition. It further says that teachers should ensuring social distancing and distribute the packets with help from cooking assistants.
Teachers have also been asked to take the signature of recipients. In case any student is absent, teachers should deliver the packets to the students’ houses.
“At a time when schools have been given holiday and people are being asked to remain indoors during the lockdown, the exercise of distributing food packets seems illogical,” said a headmaster.
He said the exercise involves assembling of teachers, non-teaching staff and hundreds of students and maintaining social distance becomes a challenge. Many students may not even turn up due to the lockdown. “Asking teachers to deliver the packets to the students’ houses is something ridiculous,” said another teacher.
A doctor involved in containing the spread of Covid-19 said the government intends to ensure that children are not deprived of food, but asking them to collect food packets from the school is like inviting risk. “Instead, the government can distribute the same packets to the families of students through the public distribution system. The officials seem to just pass on the instructions that they receive from their superiors without bothering about the pros and cons,” said the doctor.
Education department’s officers were not available for their comments.
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