Kitchen gardens should be set up in available space in all schools coming under the mid-day meal scheme so as to make pesticide-free vegetables available on the lunch menu, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said.
At a recent meeting of 163 mid-day meal officers and 14 supervisors, the Minister directed them to ensure that kitchen gardens were coming up in all schools by November 30.
Another objective of setting up the kitchen gardens, with the support of the Agriculture Department, was to teach children to make farming a part of their life.
Students in nearly 2,200 schools were being provided breakfast under the supervision of local bodies and school parent-teacher associations. Mid-day meal officers and supervisors should take the lead to expand the breakfast initiative to more schools, he said.
The government, he said, had taken steps for microbiological/chemical examination of food samples from all schools under the mid-day scheme in NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories)-accredited laboratories and testing drinking water in Kerala Water Authority’s laboratories. Water tanks and well should be examined without fail during inspections in schools.
The Minister said the government was considering providing 100gm peanut candy once a week to children coming under the scheme in Wayanad and Idukki districts and tribal areas of Palakkad district using the scheme’s flexi fund this academic year.
All cooking staff under the scheme would be provided training this year with the assistance of the State Food Craft Institute.
Any complaints related to school operations in distribution of mid-day meals should be considered without delay. Schools that implement the scheme well should be lauded and strict action taken against those that are guilty of lapses, Mr. Sivankutty said.
