Gurgaon: To ensure improvement in coverage and quality of midday meals in state-run schools, the state education department has rolled out a feedback exercise asking suggestions from parents and teachers. All government schools in Haryana will have to submit the survey report by April 20.
Before the start of the new academic session, the department is planning to assess the status of the midday meal delivery in the state-run schools. For this, the department has tasked the school heads and teachers to carry out the extensive survey.
“The survey is to assess the status of the midday meal programme. This is primarily a feedback-based exercise where the department has released a set questionnaire and schools will have to note the responses of parents and teachers on these queries. This will not only help us evaluate how schools are faring in terms of ensuring of delivering clean, healthy, and hygienic dry ration but also help us revise the menu and recipes based on the suggestions received from the students and parents,” said an education department official.
The department has released a list of questionnaires in the form of Google documents. Teachers will have to note responses of the parents and students on the quality of food provided, adequacy of the meal to fulfil nutrition requirements, hygiene standards, among others parameters and indicators. The survey will also take feedback fro parents and students on the quality of meals provided to them and if they have any specific demands to change the recipes. Teachers will have to submit a comprehensive report on the status of midday meals in their schools by April 20. The report will also have to elaborate on the complaints received from the students about the midday meal.
“We have discussed the survey format with the teachers and gave the necessary directions to complete this at the earliest. The major focus of this survey is to see whether or not schools are following proper cleanliness and hygiene norms to distribute healthy and nutritional food to the students. The survey also aims at identifying that what kind of meals students prefer so that necessary changes can be made in the daily routine of midday meal rationing. Also, as students are getting dry ration during the pandemic, the survey aims to take feedback from parents and students if they are getting adequate and unadulterated ration,” said Manoj Lakhra, head of Bajgheda Government School.
The survey will also evaluate if the schools have sufficient clean utensils to cook and serve food to the students, how often block education and district education officers come for inspection and whether students have safe drinking water facilities and practice WHO-recommended hand-washing techniques.
Teachers, however, have complained that they presently overburdened with work and such a short window to complete the survey will further wear them out.
“Final exams have just concluded so there’ll be checking of answer sheets and uploading the results on the SAT. Thereafter, we have to find out how many students were excluded from online exams and make arrangements for them to take exams. Board exams are beginning in the next few days. We should be given more time if the department expects quality inputs on the proposed survey, otherwise, teachers will have to just rush into it and will not be able to take it as seriously as it should be taken,” said a government school teacher.