CHENNAI: Eggs went missing from the midday meals served at government schools in several districts across the state on Friday, with teachers claiming that they have not seen such a lapse at least in the last decade. Teachers also sought an inquiry into the incident, which allegedly occurred due to a mix-up in the communication over the functioning of schools on Friday, as the quarterly examinations ended on Thursday.
Students in Tiruchy, Karur, Namakkal, Erode, Salem, Tirunelveli and Nagapattinam districts were reportedly served the noon meal without eggs, while schools in Tiruppur, Madurai and Dindigul received the eggs. Owing to the alleged communication lapse over the requirement for eggs, officials failed to forward the indent to suppliers in some districts, leading to the discrepancy.
Sources said that the noon-meal workers were not informed beforehand whether schools would function on Friday, a day after the quarterly exams ended. “We came to know only late that schools would function on September 25 to give instructions to students. The eggs have to be procured beforehand. While alternative arrangements were made in certain districts and schools, eggs could not be provided in others on a short notice,” said a noon-meal worker.
Teachers said eggs are served with the noon meal on all five working days of the week, with the menu prescribing different egg preparations. They questioned how such a basic component of the nutrition programme could be missed because of a communication gap between officials. “We have not faced such a situation due to a communication gap between the two departments. This is the first time in my 15 years of service that I have seen this happen,” a teacher said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers’ Association state president A Malaikozhundan sought an inquiry into the lapse. In a representation to the chief minister and chief secretary, he said students in some districts received eggs while those in others did not, despite the scheme being implemented uniformly across the state. The association urged the government to take action against those responsible for the lapse and to ensure uninterrupted supply of eggs under the noon-meal scheme.
