Milk scheme affecting studentsrsquo classes allege teachers

  • | Monday | 23rd July, 2018

Kota: State chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s much hyped milk distribution scheme under Annapurna Dudgh Yojana for students from Class I till Class VIII is creating problems after around 19 days of its launch. Meena also refuted allegations that milk distribution adversely affected the studies. He said distribution of milk is well managed before the classes start in school and added that the scheme has further attracted the kids to government school and has enhanced the attendance of pupils in classes. Under Annapurna Dudgh Yojana, milk is being distributed in 66,506 government schools of the state. Meena also refused having issued any order restricting government teachers from circulating funny, satirical messages and jokes on scheme on social media engines, however, he said such order might have been issued by district education officer of a district.

Kota: State chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s much hyped milk distribution scheme under Annapurna Dudgh Yojana for students from Class I till Class VIII is creating problems after around 19 days of its launch. The scheme on one hand is allegedly adversely affecting the studies of first two periods, meant for prime subjects like English, math and science and on the other hand it is exploiting the mid-day meal cook who has been burdened with extra work like boiling the milk and serving it, that too without additional remuneration. Besides, the pupils are bound to take sugarless milk as the scheme has no provision for fund for sugar but interestingly, the teachers are verbally instructed not to use the word ‘Phika Dudh’ (sugarless milk) before pupils.Meanwhile, the scheme, immediately after its launch on July 2, was subjected to jokes and satirical messages by government teachers in their respective social media groups that prompted Bundi district education officer (secondary set-up) to issue an order on July 9 warning teachers with stern action under CCA – 17 if they are found circulating jokes and satires on the scheme. Under the scheme, pupils from Class I to IV are served 150ml and pupils from Class V to Class VIII served 200 ml milk thrice in a week on alternate days after the morning prayers.The mid-day meal cook, who is paid a remuneration of Rs 1,200 monthly in school does the additional job of boiling and distributing milk. The milk distribution has adversely affected the studies of first and second periods which are meant for important subjects like English, math and science as the task of boiling milk, cooling and distributing it among the children usually consumes around 40 to 60 minutes in the morning, said Shoba Kanwar, a senior teacher in a government school in Bundi. “The pupils are served sugarless milk as there is no provision of fund for sugar but in our school, the teachers contribute to raise fund for sugar for the pupil,” she said.“We are strictly instructed by our principal not to utter ‘Phika dudh’ before the pupils while distributing the milk and the kids are bound to guzzle milk without sugar,” said another government teacher Pinki Nama. A few of the pupils bring sugar pouches from their homes and they pour it into their milk glasses before sipping but it also hurts the other kids who have not managed to bring sugar pouches, she further added.Milk already contains some amount of sugar and is sweet without sugar so there is no provision of fund for sugar in milk distribution scheme, said deputy director (DD), Kota division Ramswroop Meena. Meena also refuted allegations that milk distribution adversely affected the studies. He said distribution of milk is well managed before the classes start in school and added that the scheme has further attracted the kids to government school and has enhanced the attendance of pupils in classes. Meena also refused having issued any order restricting government teachers from circulating funny, satirical messages and jokes on scheme on social media engines, however, he said such order might have been issued by district education officer of a district. On additional remuneration to mid-day meal cook for boiling and distribution, the DD said proposal for extra remuneration for the job is in pipeline and would be finalized very soon.Bundi district education officer Tej Kanwar did not answer any calls for her version on issuing order warning teachers for action for circulating jokes, satirical messages on social media engines. Under Annapurna Dudgh Yojana, milk is being distributed in 66,506 government schools of the state.

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