Panvel Municipal Corporation Suspends Headmistress After Students Made To Wash Midday Meal Plates; Terms Incident ‘Unacceptable’

Panvel: The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Thursday took swift disciplinary action after videos emerged showing students of Shri Ganesh Vidya Mandir School No. 6 washing their own lunch plates, prompting public outrage.

Terming the incident as "serious and unacceptable," the civic administration in an official response informed of suspending the school’s headmistress, Suman Sudam Hilam, and issuing a show-cause notice to Municipal Education Officer Ramesh Chavan.

Videos circulating on social media showed children cleaning their utensils in the school's washroom after consuming the midday meal. The school, which is run by the municipal corporation, had outsourced the meal service to the Akshaya Patra Foundation through its School Management Committee.

Following the incident, the foundation has been directed to immediately replace the housekeeping staff responsible for the lapse.

In an official statement, the PMC stated that negligence involving children would not be tolerated under any circumstances. “All schools under PMC jurisdiction have been instructed to maintain strict supervision and uphold student welfare as the highest priority,” the statement read.

The civic body added that it remains committed to ensuring that such incidents are not repeated and that accountability is maintained across the education system.