By Vishwapati
Patna: The Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, Dr S. Siddharth, has assigned a new responsibility to Bihar headteachers and teachers. Under the new directive, all teachers must certify the distribution of the mid-day meal (MDM) to students. Failure to sign the certificate will result in the teacher being marked absent.
Teachers Must Certify Mid-Day Meals Daily
To ensure strict compliance, Dr S. Siddharth has issued a letter to all District Education Officers, stating that headteachers and teachers must submit a daily certificate confirming the mid-day meal served in their schools. This initiative aims to improve the quality of MDM and curb instances of fake attendance.
Preventing Fake Attendance and Ensuring Food Quality
The Bihar Education Department’s directive mandates that a daily report be prepared after serving the mid-day meal to students from classes 1 to 8. This report must be signed by the headteacher and all present teachers. The completed form will be attached to the payment bill and securely stored.
Teachers Can Report Meal Quality Issues
A monthly certification of the mid-day meal programme, operated by voluntary organisations, will also be required from each school. The District Programme Officer (MDM) will only process payments after receiving this certificate.
If a teacher is dissatisfied with the quality of the mid-day meal or disagrees with the reported number of students served, they must record the reason on the certificate. However, signing the document remains compulsory for all present teachers. Any teacher who fails to sign will be marked absent.
Mandatory Certification for Scheme Payments
The Additional Chief Secretary has emphasised that the certification process is essential to ensuring that students benefit fully from the scheme. Without the certificate, no payments will be made under the mid-day meal programme. The directive is aimed at maintaining accountability and ensuring transparency in the distribution of meals in schools.
- The author, Vishwapati, is a senior journalist based in Patna. He may be contacted at vishwapati25@gmail.com
