Maharashtra School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse on Tuesday directed education officials to ensure strict quality and hygiene standards in school meals, uniforms and physical infrastructure, saying no compromise would be tolerated when it comes to student welfare.
Speaking at a state-level online review meeting on the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana, free uniform scheme and school infrastructure, Bhuse said education officers must conduct strict inspections to ensure that quality facilities are actually available in schools.
Officials Asked To Conduct Regular School Inspections
He directed officials to give special attention to drinking water, toilets, repairs to school buildings, e-facilities, laboratories and playgrounds, stressing that quality education remained the top priority of the School Education Department.
Drinking Water, Toilets And Laboratories Get Special Focus
Bhuse said the foodgrains supplied to students must be of good quality and that cleanliness of storage areas, kitchens and dining spaces was essential. If prescribed standards relating to quality, quantity and hygiene were not strictly followed, responsibility would be fixed on headmasters, cluster heads and concerned officials, he warned.
He also directed officials to inspect the quality of school uniforms and submit reports immediately. Strict action should be taken against suppliers providing substandard uniforms, while responsibility should also be fixed on headmasters, school management committees and education officers, he said.
Strict Action Warned Over Poor Quality School Meals
Bhuse instructed officials to ensure that separate toilets for girl students are made available immediately. Toilets must be clean, functional and accessible to students with disabilities, he said, adding that while the government provides infrastructure, its maintenance must be effectively ensured at the local level.
For infrastructure works, Bhuse suggested mobilising funds through district planning committees, the Employment Guarantee Scheme, minor mineral funds, legislators' development funds and public participation. He also directed officials to give equal priority to health and education in aspirational districts and talukas and announced that well-performing talukas would be recognised with awards.
Principal Secretary Ranjit Singh Deol said government schemes must be implemented effectively in schools according to prescribed rules and guidelines. He stressed the need for regular school inspections and ensuring foodgrain supplies strictly as per contractual quality standards.
School Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh directed officials to exercise additional caution during the monsoon, when food items are more likely to spoil. Schools must provide clean spaces for students to eat and maintain the quality of meals and cleanliness of toilets, he said.
Director of Primary Education Sharad Gosavi instructed schools to follow the guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration and conduct a tasting of meals before serving them to students. He also called for training cooks and helpers and appointing a nodal officer for every school.
Officials said kitchen gardens have been developed in around 85 per cent of schools across Maharashtra.
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