Odisha: Students ‘engaged’ in MDM works despite being forbidden under Right to Education Act

JAGATSINGHPUR: Students of Government Upper Primary School, Gangada under Naugaon block were allegedly engaged in mid-day meal works despite strict guidelines laid down under the Right to Education Act forbidding the same. 

The incident came to light when the students were seen carrying egg packets in their cycles on Saturday which teachers of the said school had allegedly asked them to do. Locals who had recorded the entire incident on their phones claimed that the students were seen exhausted from having to carefully carry the egg packets from the local markets to the school adding that they are pressed in various kinds of such activities all around the year.

Sources said in spite of the school having four teachers and two cooks engaged for the purpose, students were asked to get involved in the MDM works on many occasions. Sarpanch of Deriki panchayat Prasant Jena admitted that it was illegal on part of the teachers to engage students in labour. 

However, headmistress Khulana Das refuted the claims and said that they were being falsely implicated by someone so as to defame them. “I received the pictures showing students engaged in MDM works but am yet to look into the matter. An inquiry will be conducted on Monday and if the claims are found to be true, strict action will be taken against the teachers involved,” informed block education officer, Naugaon, Manorama Rout.