Karnataka education officials to study cluster kitchen model for midday meals

Karnataka education officials must check the pros and cons of using a cluster kitchen system for school midday meals. The Joint Director of the PM Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme gave this order to all district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction and Block Education Officers. The Government Primary School Teachers Association made this request to the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department and the Director of the PM Poshan Abhiyan. Teachers currently handle many tasks outside of regular teaching work.

Current Duties

Right now, teachers buy groceries, milk, green vegetables, eggs and bananas for the meals. They also oversee how the food is cooked and served, and keep records on the Student Achievement Tracking System and Nirantara apps. The association states that teachers also handle student admissions, scholarship sign-ups, attendance records, census work, and other non-academic duties. In fact, about 65,000 teachers took part in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the State.

Proposed Change

Some non-governmental organisations like ISKCON's Akshaya Patra and Adamya Chetana already supply midday meals from cloud or cluster kitchens in places like Bengaluru and Hubballi. The association wants similar cluster-level kitchens set up across the State. These kitchens could be run by local groups, associations, self-help groups, or Stree Shakti Sanghas to cook and send food to government schools in each cluster. The association says this change will take away midday meal duties so teachers can focus fully on teaching students.

Context

Midday meal programs in Indian government schools help keep children in class by offering a free daily meal. Shifting food preparation to central kitchens is a common method used in cities to save time for school staff.