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Major findings of Monitoring Institute on implementation of the MID DAY MEAL SCHEME IN ASSAM

Name of the Monitoring Institution DIBRUGARH UNIVERSITY

Major findings of Monitoring Institute on implementation of the MID DAY MEAL SCHEME IN ASSAM

Name of the Monitoring Institution : DIBRUGARH UNIVERSITY

Period of the report :1st October 2011 to 30th September 2012

District’s Covered

Month and date of Visit

No of Schools visited in each district (Primary and Upper Primary Schools)

Primary section Schools

Upper Primary section Schools

others

1. Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Sonitpur,Nagaon, Morigaon

01.10.2011 to30.09. 2012

129 132 RSTC= 11

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1. Regularity in Serving Meals

Major Achievements Critical Points• All the lower primary and upper primary schools

serve daily hot cooked meal in seven districts. • Meals were served between 11.30-11.45 and the

entire process took about 1hr. • Regularity of serving meals depends on the available

of Rice and Funds. • All the students of elementary schools opted for MDM

but variations were noticed in the rainy season, local festivals and other family functions.

• Food grains (rice @ 100gm per students per day of student attendance at lower primary level and 150gm of upper primary level) were supplied though consumer cooperative societies. Distance of consumer co-operative societies from school was noticed 0 to 10 km in the schools visited.

• Headmasters reported that it was an additional work.

• There was no provision in the schools to measure if the correct quantity of food grains were provided from the cooperative societies.

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2. Trends

Major Achievements Critical Points

• Total 6% of students have not opted for MDM in schools at all in the visited school.

Details Enrollment of student

On the day visit

% of enrollment

% of the present

% of previous day present

Enrollment of student

29501 23912 95% 89% 86%

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Trends Conti…..Major Achievements Critical Points

• Food grains were received on time and buffer stock of one month requirement was available.

• The headmasters/head mistress were making a menu of MDM as per local needs. A general view of the menu observed in the districts were given below.

• Total No. of 25912 children availed MDM on the day of visit .

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3. Social Equity

Major Achievements Critical Points• All the children of all categories seat together

and eat together. Teachers supervise the process children wash their hands and then served the fresh cooked meal.

• No discrimination at all was observed in serving or seating arrangements.

• MDM is served in the classrooms or varandah of the school.

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. Variety of Menu

Major Achievements Critical Points• All schools have displayed its

weekly menu, and centralized kitchens.

• Varity of local vegetables was noticed in the MDM in the schools visited. MDM menu displayed in 18% the sample schools.

• In primary and upper schools Nutrolar, Potato, Bhat, Dal are served for the whole week. No wheat based menu is there.

• Children reported that they found the same food served monotonous but had no other option.

MENU served

Day Items

Monday Nutrolar, potato Bhat, Dal

Tuesday Dal with local vegetable/Bhat

Wednesday Dal/Bhat

Thursday Dal/Bhat/ Mixed vegetable

Friday Dal/Bhat

Saturday Khichari/Dal Bhat

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. Quality & Quantity of Food:

Major Achievements Critical Points

• Regarding quality and quantity of MDM 80% is satisfied. However students reported that there should be more varieties.

• to bring in uninterrupted supply of MDM not only rice but all dry ration should be supplied directly to the school.

• Dry food can be given to the children.

• fruits, egg, milk biscuits, should also provided at least once a week.

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. Cook cum helpers

Major Achievements • Cook cum helpers has been engaged in schools for serving the meals and

washing the utensils. Rs. 1000/- is paid monthly.

• But remuneration is not paid regularly.

• Majority of helper belong to SC/ST/OBC/ minority communities.

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. Infrastructure

Major Achievements Critical Points

•The pucca kitchen sheds were found constructed in all schools visited. But the kitchen sheds were not hygienic. It was small no ventilation. •Store rooms for storing food grains and other utensils were not available in the schools .

• The kitchen shed and the store room should have been constructed at a little distance from the classrooms.

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. Safety & Hygiene

Major Achievements Critical Points •Adequate safety measures were not found in few schools of seven districts. Other schools were observed average condition of safety and hygiene.• fire wood was used for cooking in all school of the seven districts.

• In the rural areas schools hygiene was not maintained.• Due to shortage and unavailability of fire woods, the schools located in towns should be provided with LPG pipelines or the government should provide gas cylinders at subsidized rate.

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. Potable Water

Major Achievements Critical Points• Safe drinking water with filtration was found available in 56% of school. It was observes that children drank directly from the hand pump, tube well, etc.

• In 503No Auniati Koibattra Nimna Buniadi school of Dhemaji district the drinking water facility was very bad.

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. Supplementary

Major Achievements • It is suggested that regular health check-up in the school to be done in

consultation with NRHM of the districts.• Folic Acid, De-warming tablets, Micro-nutrient tablets were also regularly

distribute.

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. Inspection & Supervision

Major Achievements •Officers from the DMCs, DEEOs, BEOs, ABRCCs, CRCCs and SMCs members were found visiting the MDM and giving their remarks on the observation and inspection books.

•But frequency of visiting was very slow.

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. Community Participation and Awareness

Major Achievements Critical Points• 68% Parents and community members were aware about the mid-day-meals scheme.

•The Mother groups were found in all the schools but it was not active.

• No record is maintained by any of the school regarding supervision by parents/SMC.

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. Impact of MDMS

Major Achievements & Critical Points• A research study on the MDM would be helpful to get the actual picture of its impact

on student enrolment. • Due to shortage and unavailability of fire woods, the schools located in towns should

be provided with LPG pipelines or the government should provide gas cylinders at subsidized rate.

• The cooks did not receive any training so this aspect should be taken care.

• Students enrolment and attendance in class MDM programme provided a positive impact in all the elementary schools. Specially in rural and tea garden area MDM programme help to the students nutrition facility and motivation to the students in teaching learning processes.

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Presentation by:

Name Prof. Daisy Bora Talukdar

Official Designation and Nodal Officer Nodal Officer

Name & Address of the Monitoring Institute

Dibrugarh University

Office phone No

Mobile No 9435130847

Email ID : drdaisy_bora@yahoo.co.in

Photograph of MDM Programme