Indian Institute of Education Mid- Day-Meal : Maharashtra

 IIE, Pune Conducts Monitoring in 19 districts of Maharashtra.  Following observations are based on previous TOR

 During the First six months of the second year ( 1 st August 2009 to 31 st January 2010 ) 5 districts, viz. Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Buldana and Akola were visited.  The MI visited 439 schools and 10 AIE centres in these 5 districts.

Regularity in Serving Meal  Interruption in providing cooked meal was found in 147 schools (33.49%).  The reasons for interruption were delay in receipt of food grains and non punctuality of the ration shopkeeper, in bringing the same.

Trends  All the children enrolled in the school have opted for Mid-day Meal and there is no variation between the number of children availing the MDM as per MDM register and the no of children actually availing MDM on the day of visit.

Cooking cost  None of the school received cooking cost in advance. It is received twice/thrice in a year.

 No discrimination of any kind was observed in any school. Social Equity

Quality of food  In 416 schools (94.76%) quality of food was found to be good. Children were happy with the food.

Menu  Prescribed menu is followed by 387 schools (88.15%).  Variety of food is served.  The daily menu include rice preparation dal and seasonal green vegetables.  Use of pulses was found to be inadequate.  None of the schools displayed weekly menu at a place noticeable to the community.

Supplementary Food  Health cards have been maintained in 421 schools( 95.90%).  Check up of children is done only once in a year.  Mostly iron tablets have been provided by the NRHM/ PHC.

Status of the Cook  Cooks appointed by the VECs prepare and serve the MDM in 347 schools (79.04%).  Variation in remuneration pattern was found.  307 schools (69.93%) gave 25% of the total cooking cost bill to the cook which include fuel and remuneration.  34 schools (07.74%) gave the total cooking cost bill to the cook and the cook himself purchased the pulses, vegetables, cooking oil, condiments and fuel.

Continued…  Payment to the cooks was very irregular in all schools.  Cooks appointed by the VECs are mostly from the underprivileged sections of the society.  No medical check up record of the cook was found in any school.

Infrastructure  Out of 439 schools, pucca kitchen shed was available in 41 schools(09.34%) only.  Where kitchen shed was not available, the food was cooked in school verandha in 78 schools (17.77%), spare classroom in 115 schools(26.20%) and open yard in 66 schools (15.03%).

Continued…  Large no of schools are lacking of storing space.  We observed food grains were stored in the classroom in 263 schools (59.10%) and in the HMs office in 33 schools (7.52%).

Continued…  89% of the schools have potable water for cooking and drinking.  93% of the schools have adequate utensils.  90% of the schools are using firewood as fuel.  In 67 schools (15.26%) poor conditions of safety and hygiene.

Community Participation  Daily supervision and monitoring by parents and VECs was found in 184 schools (41.91%).

Inspection  MDM is inspected regularly either by the teacher or headmasters.  The District and State level inspection was found almost missing.

Impact  424 school (96.58%) reported that the MDM had helped to improve the attendance.  Director School Education has supplied printed booklet pertaining health Record (weight, height etc.) which is not maintained by the any of the school.