Amid widespread concern and criticism for mismanagement of mid-day meal (MDM) programme and unhygienic kitchen condition in the schools across the State, the Government has decided to go for a complete ‘makeover’ of the kitchens and cook-cum-helpers.
After the dress code for teachers, it is now the turn of cooks to wear aprons. As per a decision taken on Thursday at a high level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary J K Mohapatra in Bhubaneswar, the cook-cum-helpers engaged for cooking the MDM in all primary, upper primary and integrated nodal schools in the State would be provided aprons.
Though no special budgetary provision has been made for stitching the aprons, District Project Coordinator (DPC) of Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan (SSA) Prasanta Mohapatra, who attended the video conference of the Chief Secretary said, the amount would be paid after submission of the bills.
“We would ask them to make the apron christened as ‘Queen of the Kitchen’ at a cost of Rs 200. Besides, each school will also be provided Rs 508 a year for hand washing gels. They will not be allowed to purchase any soap,” he said.
Focusing on the cleanliness, the Government has asked all the school authorities to complete ‘white washing’ of the kitchen by August 15. The schools would spend not more than Rs 500 for the purpose from School Improvement Grant (SIG). While a primary school is provided Rs 5,000 as SIG a year, Upper Primary school gets Rs 7,000 each and UGUP school Rs 12,000.
Mohapatra said one more important decision taken was that all schools now would have an MDM register in which all facts related to the noon meal programme will be mentioned by the School Managing Committees (SMCs).
In the register, the SMCs or the Self Help Groups, who are in-charge of MDMs, will write the name of the vendors from whom they purchase their daily rations and the feedback on the cooked meals on a daily basis. Revising an earlier decision of only testing the cooked food, it was decided that the members would have a full meal before the food is served to the students.
“The cook-cum-helpers, one member of the SMC and one teacher of the concerned school will have one complete meal each, 30 minutes prior to the meals are served and write their feedback in the register. The meals would be provided to the children only if they all write that the food is good and may be served,” the DPC informed.
The schools will also be provided Rs 5,000 each to purchase a new set of utensils and the remuneration of cook-cum-helpers be hiked to Rs 1,500 a month from the existing Rs 1,000.
The cook-cum-helpers however are not excited with the announcement of the scheme. They claimed when many schools in the State were yet to have their own kitchens, such a makeover scheme was nothing but wastage of tax payers’ money.
“We need to first build the kitchens and then go for their makeover,” they said expressing disappointment over the Government for not paying them their monthly remuneration of Rs 1,000 regularly.
Queen of the Kitchen
The cooks have to wear aprons while cooking MDM
No budgetary provision to supply aprons
Remuneration of cook-cum-helper raised to Rs 1500 per month