THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Very soon, senior officers of the Education Department will conduct surprise visits to schools to assess the quality of the mid-day meal scheme. If needed, the officers will also have noon meal along with students.
A directive to this effect has been given by Director of Public Instructions K V Mohankumar. It will be binding on officers from the level of Assistant Educational Officer (AEO) to DPI.The surprise checks will be conducted at the kitchen, store, dining hall and the source of drinking water. Waste management system, surroundings and hygiene of the cooking staff will be assessed and recorded.
Reports of the mid-day meal scheme of a month will reach the DPI within the 10th of next month. This will be in addition to the checks conducted by the noon meal officer and noon feeding supervisor.
The number of beneficiaries under the noon meal scheme will be updated on the website by 2 pm everyday.
Directives have been given to schools to use LPG instead of firewood. In order to arrange for LPG connection, `5,000 will be provided to each school. Two government coordinators have been appointed at the regional level to ensure effective implementation of the noon meal scheme. The coordinators have been tasked with periodically conducting lab tests on the food samples prepared in schools.