The government is considering extending the lunch break in State-run schools by around 15 minutes in order to give headmasters and cooks enough time to monitor the serving of midday meals to children. Now, the lunch break lasts 45 minutes.
The extension was mooted in an internal meeting of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on Friday to discuss risk factors in implementing the midday meal scheme. The proposal comes just four days after a six-year-old girl died after falling into boiling sambar during lunch rush.
“Most government schools in Karwar have lunch breaks lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes, which gives them enough time to ensure smooth serving. On paper, recess is 45 minutes, but an extra 15 minutes can ease some pressure on cooks and headmasters in serving meals,” said S Jayakumar, joint director, MDM scheme.
He said a final decision would be taken based on lunch time practices followed in different districts. During the meeting, a headmaster opined that extending the lunch break could prolong other academic activities. “We will have to plan the extension in a manner that does not affect children and teachers,” Jayakumar said.
Meanwhile, the department is also considering imparting training to cooks on nutrition. “We don’t want them to cook without actually knowing how the food is benefiting children’s health. According to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, cooks are not supposed to touch food with bare hands,” Jayakumar added.