By Aafaque Hussain
SHILLONG: Midday meal scheme, which is crucial in tackling school dropouts especially in rural areas, has been shoddily implemented over the years, shows an independent study by a research scholar at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
The study on Meghalaya’s education sector by research scholar Samir UL Hassan shows that despite the central and the state governments pumping in Rs 81.55 crore into the midday meal scheme in the successive financial years, schools implementing this have either diverted the funds and foodgrain or are not implementing it at all.
The report says that the Education Department failed to vigorously monitor the implementation because of shortage of manpower.
“More than 18 years after it was rolled out in Meghalaya, the midday meal scheme has failed to keep children in schools or provide dietary nutrition — the two objectives of the centrally- sponsored scheme,” the report stated.
It says that during the 2014-15 fiscal, Meghalaya had approved 11,227 schools — comprising government-run, ad hoc and deficit schools — for the scheme.
According to the report, under the scheme, approximately 5.14 lakh school children were supposed to get free midday meal.
“Notwithstanding the almost non-implementation of the scheme in many schools in the state, the Education Department placed a projection of Rs 107.98 crore as expenditure for the implementation of the same for 2015-16 financial years,” it added. A 2014 study conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources Development showed that the overall prevalence of stunted growth among schoolchildren was 59 per cent compared to the national average of 48 per cent.
The proportion is higher in East Khasi Hills (65.3 per cent) and Ri Bhoi (49.1 per cent). The problem is higher among girls as compared to boys in the two districts.
Despite the appalling situation, none of the political parties, including the NPP and the BJP which are harping on the failures of the Congress-led government, has flagged the issue or come up with a road map after in-depth research. The parties’ promises about bettering the education sector remain superficial with no statistics to back their claims of the incumbent government’s failures.
The current government too is least bothered to improve the prevailing situation.
When sought for reaction, Congress spokesperson Ronnie V Lyngdoh said such reports about diversion of funds should point out specific cases and such claims should be substantiated so that the party can inquire into it.
He also questioned the timing of the report saying, “Nowadays people have got their political linkages and affiliations and everything cannot be taken as a gospel truth.
“The timing of the report sounds suspicious to me,” he said adding that many institutions now have been infiltrated by the RSS and it could be their handiwork.
Hassan said the report was published around six months ago. A copy of the 12-page report is with The Shillong Times.
On the other hand, NPP state president WR Khalukhi said Meghalaya’s rating in many sectors is very bad. “If such thing has happened, what more do we expect from them (the Congress). They have no issues and so they are just bringing issues which have no value at all,” he added.