MAGANOOR: A visit to the Zilla Parishad High School at Maganoor, which has been in the news for three instances of food poisoning in a span of just one week — November 20, 21 and 26 — revealed shocking details of official indifference, apathy and total disregard for student health.
Students told TNIE that their health was put at risk by their teachers, who remained indifferent to their complaints of worm-infested food being served to them as part of the mid-day meals. They also said that though the district collector herself was served worm-infested food, the officials remained unshaken from their apathy and the situation did not improve.
Shockingly, this was not the first wave of food poisoning cases reported from the school. A local said more than 80 students were affected on September 18 and 20, 2022. “Those incidents never made it to the front pages,” the local added.
The latest wave of food poisoning cases has left students scared, but they are unwilling to talk to their teachers, saying that it would hardly make a difference.
A Class VIII student, Pawan (name changed), said most of the students are from BC and SC communities and they come to the school from across 10 villages. Some travel more than four kilometres to attend classes without having their breakfast, Pawan said.
“After I had my lunch on Monday (November 25) at 1 pm, I started suffering from a stomachache. I did not tell the teachers but went to the hospital on my own. Fortunately, I am better now,” he added.
We saw worms in food served to collector: Students
The stated objective of the mid-day meal scheme is to provide students, especially from economically backward sections, nutritious food thus helping improve the effectiveness of primary education.
Naidu, a Class IX student, stated: “After November 20, when I suffered stomach ache, headache and vomiting, I started bringing my lunch from home. On November 26, they (officials) served undercooked rice and curries. We saw white coloured worms in the cooked rice served to us.”
However, the school management claims that officials, including the MRO, had lunch at the ZPHS on November 26, hinting that there was nothing wrong.
Another Class IX student insisted: “I don’t know about them but we have worm-infested food and half-cooked sambar, and curries. I got a raw brinjal on my plate. We had complained about the issue many times to our teachers.”
The students told TNIE that they have been facing issues with rice, curries and the drinking water served at the school.
P Nitin, a student, said that the management uses two tanks for drinking water. Till November 26, the tanks had no cover. “Sometimes, monkeys come and play in the water,” Nitin said, adding that after the students were hospitalised, the management covered the tanks with stone slabs.
A teacher told TNIE that the purified water plant has been dysfunctional for the last three years. “It could have been repaired but no one cares about such things,” the teacher added.
However, after the students were hospitalised for food poisoning, the school management started purchasing purified water bottles. A student said that this was the first time the school management did so.
L Jagannath stated that his son, L Shankar, a Class XI student, was affected twice, on November 20 and 26. “When I told my son to bring lunch from home, he refused saying that he is scared of the teachers,” Jagannath said.
Some students alleged that they saw inch-long worms in the food served to them for lunch. “Even on November 20, we saw worms in the cooked rice,” said a student. It was on this day that 45 students complained of health issues. As their health deteriorated, the school management rushed them to a hospital.
While most students stabilised after treatment, two had to be rushed to the government hospital at Mahbubnagar as their condition worsened. Shockingly, when the students who had been rushed to hospital attended school, they saw worms in cooked food again.
Students said that even Narayanpet Collector Sikta Patnaik was served worm-infested food for lunch on November 21. “We saw that she (collector) got worms in her plate when she came to our school on November 21 to have lunch with us. We saw with our own eyes the collector’s reaction upon seeing the worms on her plate, the students said. “After she saw the worms, she ordered fresh food to be prepared. On that day, we had our lunch at 4 pm, just before leaving the school,” the students revealed. When asked about the food poisoning cases, Sikta Patnaik said: “I have said what I had to.”
Officials have tried to blame outside food, especially Kurkure, for the food poisoning. Students admitted to TNIE that some of them do go out and eat snacks, but not all.
At the same time, shopkeepers pointed out that there are three other educational institutions in the area. “There is a primary school, Margadarsi school and a government high school in the vicinity. But how can only students from this school (Maganooor ZPHS school) be affected?” questioned shop owner Varadarajan.
A teacher, requesting anonymity, said that the gates of the schools are closed at 9.30 am every day. “After the lunch period, many students go out by jumping the compound wall and buy some snacks. Most of the students go out during the first break after lunch,” the teacher added.
A villager from Maganoor, named Bingi Bhaskar said that this was not the first wave of food poisoning in the school. “On September 18 and 20, 2022, more than 80 students were affected due to the food poisoning. But that never came to light,” stated.
An official from the Narayanpet district collectorate told TNIE that after the food poisoning incident came up, the officials inspected several residential schools and found worm-infested rice there. “We ordered the managements to discard those rice bags and replace them with new stock,” the official said.
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