Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Sept 7: Minister of State for Education, Priya Sethi today said that the Government is mulling to out sources Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme to relieve teachers from the additional work and enable them to pay full attention on Teaching Learning Processes (TLP) and holistic development of the students.
She was speaking at a joint meeting of Education Department functionaries and representatives of Akshay Patra an NGO serving Mid Day Meals to around 17 lakh students in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states.
The Minister discussed pros and cons of outsourcing of the scheme and sought full details of the working style of the NGO.
After detailed discussion, it was decided that initially the project will be started on pilot basis in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu divisions.
Meanwhile, the Minister and the team of NGO visited four locations each in Jammu and Samba districts to explore the possibility of establishing centralized kitchens.
It was informed that the establishment of centralized kitchens would be in commensuration to the strength of the students in the twin districts where about 65,000 students will be benefitted by the scheme.
It has also been decided that by assigning the MDM to the NGO the staff (cooks) already in place will not be disengaged and will continue to work in the scheme as desired by the Minister of Education.
With the success of the pilot project the module will be replicated in the remaining districts of Jammu Division and consequently followed by Kashmir Division.
The meeting was attended by Suvyakta Narasimha Dasa Sr. VP and Project Director, Bharatarshabha Dasa Director Strategic Relationships and representatives of School Education Department including Director School Education Jammu Ravinder Pal Singh, State Project Director RMSA Tufail Matto, Deputy Director Planning Deepa Sharma, Chief Education Officer Jammu, Joginder Kumar Sudan and Chief Education Officer Samba Ram Pal.
Meanwhile, Priya Sethi attended a function organized at Institute of Hotel Management to pay tributes to flood victims of 2014.
A speech and group discussion competition was organized to mark the day in which students from various schools across the city participated and presented their views on prevention of disaster and disaster management.
Priya Sethi urging the students to focus on their education, said that education not only means acquiring a theoretical education, but also understanding its practical essence as well as learning by participating in co curricular activities that contribute in overall development of a student.
She said that social awareness is essential and that it is encouraging to see students coming forth and participating in such events. She added that change in thinking is essential for propagating a social change and that society needs to make united efforts to preserve environment and prevent manmade disaster.
She also urged students to follow Swami Vivekananda’s teaching in their life that will guide them through any difficulties they may face in life.
A two minute silence was also observed to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives during the 2014 floods in Kashmir.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
