Nearly 10 lakh students were deprived of mid-day meals being served at their schools as primary schoolteachers continued to boycott their duties on second consecutive day on Friday.
Bihar mid-day meal scheme Director R lakshamanan told mediapersons that the meals were not served in over 4,600 schools due to the ongoing strike by the primary teachers. Teachers want that they should not be engaged in the non-academic duties including their involvement in the mid-day meal scheme. The mid-day meals are served in around 70,000 schools in the State and districts like Saran, Purnea, Sheohar, Araria and Muzaffarpur continued to be the worst hit due the strike.
General secretary of Bihar Primary Teachers’ Association MP Shahi said that teachers will not participate in the non-academic activities until the Government concedes to their demand for creating a right academic atmosphere in the State. Meanwhile, the State Government had also apparently softened its stand particularly in the view of the Allahabad High Court’s judgement, stating that it is not teachers’ job to supervise cooking of mid-day meal. The State Government has now invited representatives of the teachers’ association to present their point of views. Shahi said that teachers will hold discussions with Director (Primary Education) on Saturday for ending the deadlock arising out due to their indefinite boycott of the mid-day meal programme.
Students are bringing their home-prepared food to schools instead of depending on the mid-day meal being served to them, apprehending troubles particularly after the death of 23 children who had eaten meals at Dharmasti Gandaman Primary School in Saran district on July 23. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also requested agitating teachers to extend their cooperation for the smooth implementation of the mid-day meal in the State.
Meanwhile, the Bihar Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on the first day of the Monsoon Session when the BJP members demanded that the House should also pay homage to 23 children who lost their lives after eating mid-day meal at a Government school in Saran district. State Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary assured members that he will consider the matter at later stage but he adjourned the House for the day without making any obituary reference on the death of innocent children in the mid-day meal tragedy.
later, the BJP members observed two-minute silence outside the House to pay respect to those children who lost their lives in the tragedy. leader of Opposition in the Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav told mediapersons that the State Government had shown its total insensitivity to the death of children in the mid-day meal tragedy.
Kumar did not visit Patna Medical College and Hospital to see children who had fallen sick after eating contaminated meal at their school in Chhapra district on the plea that he has problem in his toe but he attended the State Assembly proceedings with an objective to save his Government despite having health problem. State legislative Council, however, condoled the death of children in the mid-day meal tragedy in Saran district and also those killed in Uttarakhand natural calamity.