Strength of MDM

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2. Strength of MDM • MDM was served to children regularly in all the sample schools of 04 district. • Food grains were available in majority of sample schools where MDM was prepared at school. • No discrimination (gender, caste and community) in cooking or serving or seating arrangements has been observed. • Children were satisfied with the quantity of MDM in majority of sample schools. • Children were satisfied with the quality of MDM in majority of sample schools. • There was variety in the food served for MDM. This includes Khichdi (with different pulses on different days), Rice, dal and vegetables, Rice, dal and vegetables. The dal is prepared on various days of different tastes i.e. without spices and only with heeng and rai (plain dal). Thus, on every week days the menu is different with different dal and vegetables. • District gets funds from the State largely on time. 2

3. Continue…………. • Potable water and utensils were available in majority of the sample schools for MDM preparation. • Rural schools have better MDM quality in comparison to Urban areas. • Number of cooks and helpers was adequate to meet the requirement of the school. 3

4. FINDINGS OF RAPID ASSESSMENT IN DHULE DISTRICT Strengths • The government of Maharashtra is procuring and supplying ingredients through Maharashtra State Cooperative Federation which is a State PSU. • The MDM Scheme is being run properly with the focus on its continuity in the field. • The quantity and quality of MDM is good • Under setting up of the Management structure at various levels, District committee has been formed and its members are chief Executive officer, DEO, MDM superintendent (AO) and MDM Superintendent posted at Block level. Monthly meeting of the district committee is held. • At block level, the MDM Superintendent is in position and he/she does supervision of MDM in the block and keeps record of rice, food grains, pulses, spices, edible oils supplied to the schools in the blocks. • At school level records regarding rice, food grains, spices, edible oils, etc are being maintained properly in a register. Daily attendance register of boys and girls is also being maintained in the schools. • As per the govt. MOU, quality Agmark pulses, edible oils and other ingredients are procured and supplied through the State Cooperative Consumer Federation to the schools. • At district level, sample checking of rice, pulses, etc. is carried out through government laboratories to ensure quality meal to children. 4

5. FINDINGS OF RAPID ASSESSMENT IN DHULE DISTRICT Weaknesses • Procurement and supply system of rice to the Bachat ghats/schools is lacking in regularity with the result that in some of the schools MDM is not prepared and served to the children even for more than fifteen days. Sometimes, in some schools the schools make arrangement of rice by borrowing it from some other schools. But it is not a good practice. In fact, it shows that the system is to he improved and procurement and supply must be ensured through continuous and comprehensive monitoring at all the levels. • Superintendent MDM deployed at Block level has a lot of roles and responsibilities in the block. He has to supervise all the schools in the block and see that MDM Scheme is running smoothly. The area of the block is also big. So, looking to the roles and responsibilities of ensuring procurement and supply of rice, food grains, spices, pulses, edible oils, etc, he is to be strengthened by deploying at least one or two other persons. • Tasting of the meal by at least one teacher/ SMC member is, in fact, a formality. It should be given a practical shape by ensuring tasting of the meal at least by one teacher/ SMC member in actuality. Only by writing the names of teachers/ SMC members in the register as a formality, MDM scheme cannot run smoothly. Tasting of the meal by one teacher/ SMC member in practice will be a very strong check against any untoward incident in MDMS. • As a precaution, it should be a general practice that the teacher concerned should sign in the MDM register only on the day when he/she has tasted MDM before serving it to the students. 5

6. FINDINGS OF RAPID ASSESSMENT IN DHULE DISTRICT Weaknesses • In some schools in district namely, JP primary school, Padladey, J.P. primary school, Nimgul and in MNP 53 school (Urdu Medium) Mid Day Meal was not prepared and served to the students for 15-20 days continuously because there was no rice in stock in these schools. It shows some or the other problem in making supply of rice to the schools in advance. Hence, it is suggested that there should be proper monitoring of the procurement and supply of rice and other ingredients to the schools/ Bachat ghat in time. • In some schools it was observed that the children eat full mid day meal and if some part of it still remains unconsumed, they take it home. This is a bad practice and it should be stopped by creating awareness among students, their parents & members. • It was observed that in many schools, children brought their Tiffins with them and used their home prepared food. A study should be made as to why these children do so and as per the findings, some changes in the Menu of MDM can be made. In Maharashtra, MDM includes rice and rice based items. The children may be bringing chapattis made of maize, bajara or some other flour. So, on the basis of findings of the study, changes can be made in the menu of MDM. Not only this, it is also possible that the parents don’t have faith in the quality of MDM being served in the school and that is why they send their children with Tiffins having their home-made food. 6

7. FINDINGS OF RAPID ASSESSMENT IN DHULE DISTRICT Weaknesses Hence, awareness campaign should be launched in order to convince the parents and the people in general about the good quality of MDM being supplied to the students in the schools. • In practice, the cook-cum-helper is generally a woman and sometimes a widow and the amount she gets is only Rs. 1000/= per month and if even such a small amount is not paid to her in time, she may be demotivated to work and it may tell upon her work-efficiency, too. • Capacity building of cook-cum-helpers and district resource persons for managing safety of food grains and hygienic cooking has not be taken up and hence, such training programmes should be conducted in order to improve the quality of MDM. Further, the inspections of the MDM centers should be rationalized. • There is lack of awareness about MDM scheme among the stakeholders, particularly children and community members. The Logo has not been painted on the outside wall of the school at a prominent place. Even the entitlements have not been displayed at prominent places for the awareness of children, parents and community members. • Review meetings at district level are not being convened regularly under the chairmanship of M.P. • Social audit of the MDMS has not been carried out by any Institute and hence, it is suggested to get it done as soon as possible. Then corrective steps should be taken as per their suggestions. 7

9. Regularity in serving hot cooked MDM Children taking MDM Children taking MDM Children taking MDM Children taking MDM 9

11. Student enrollment, Attendance and Children availing MDM 11

13. Regularity in Delivering food grains to Schools 13

14. Quality of Food Grains Quality of food grains Quality of food grains Quality of Rice Quality of Pulse Quality of food grains Quality of Rice Quality of Pulse 14

15. Regularity in Delivering Cooking Cost In all the sample schools of Mumbai district MDM is supplied by SHG. Thus, cooking cost is not received by school. 15

16. Social Equity 16

18. Feedback from Children on Quality of meal 18

19. Feedback from Children on Quality of meal Quality of MDM Quality of MDM prepared at school Quality of MDM Quality of MDM Quality of MDM 19

20. Feedback from Children on Quantity of meal 20

21. Cooking/Serving MDM at School level 21

24. Following Safety and Hygiene 24

25. Safety and Hygiene Hand washing among children Children washing their hands Children in order during MDM Children in order during MDM 25

26. Availability of Fuel for cooking MDM Gas used for MDM preparation Firewood used for MDM preparation Gas used for MDM preparation 26

27. Status of available infrastructure for MDM 27

28. MDM Menu 28

29. Monitoring by MDM Officials 29

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31. Perception of Teachers & headmaster about MDM Impact 31

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33. Area need improvement Children not in order while taking MDM Children with their Tiffin's Improvement in MDM Quality Proper display of MDM menu 33

34. Challenges/ Suggestions • The Block Education Officer, MDM Superintendent and the centre incharge visit a school once in two/three months and as such the number of MDM scheme inspections in schools is 03/04 in one year. Hence, in order to strengthen the MDMS, it is recommended that the frequency of inspections should be increased and each and every school should be inspected at least once a month by the Block/District Officers and twice/thrice a month by the Centre Incharge. It will certainly improve the present position of the scheme. • The Visits to schools in connection with MDMS seem to be less effective as the recommendations and suggestions remain without any action taken at the school level. It is recommended that Action Taken Report should invariably be sent to the higher officials within a fortnight of receiving the inspection report from the higher ups. • It has been observed that the tasting of the meal by at least one teacher/ SMC member is done as per record. However, while inspecting MDMS in schools, it has been observed that the register is being maintained in the school and the names of the teachers have been written in advance as per the dates of the month. On a particular date the teacher concerned may remain on leave. So, it is just a formality. 34

35. Challenges/ Suggestions • In SMC meetings discussions regarding MDM, non-payment of remuneration to cook-cum helper and lack of food grains are held, but the solutions of the problems are beyond their reach. So, it is imperative that immediate action should be taken on the proposals/ recommendations sent to the higher officials by the SMC. • It has been observed that the records regarding MDMS are maintained in the schools, but they are just a formality as they do not indicate the actual position. During the visits to schools, it was found that there was a lot of difference in the quantity of the rice and food grains entered into the stock registers and the actual stock in the schools. So, it needs rigorous monitoring of the stocks in the schools. In the schools run by Municipal corporations, rice and food grains are supplied as per the attendance of the students. The records are also maintained as per the attendance of the students. But in practice, the Bachat Ghat prepares MDM for 5 to 7 schools in one school and supplies to the school upto 60% of the total attendance on that particular day. • It is recommended that proper regular monitoring of MDM Scheme must be done at all levels and ‘Action Taken Reports’ be sent to the higher ups showing the actual improvement in the scheme. Quality inputs – Monitoring, Supervision & Pursuance 35

36. Challenges/ Suggestions • It was observed that in the rural areas in tribal areas the children eat full Mid Day Meal and if some part of it still remains unconsumed, they take it home. Hence, the teachers and the members of SMC should discuss about the habit of taking home the unconsumed MDM. Awareness meetings may be held and efforts should be made to stop the habit of taking home the unconsumed MDM. Parent-teacher meetings can also be held in this connection and change in habit be brought by and by. • As per the MoU with Maharashtra State Cooperative Consumer Federation and the Contractor, on the receipt of the demand letter, the supply of rice and food grains is to be made within 20 days. But in actuality, sometimes, the contractor fails to supply rice in time and as a result of it, problems crop up in MDM Scheme. • It was told that agreement between the government and the contractor was over on 30.11.12 and it was being extended every month. Even the demand letter for August, 13 was sent to the district on 10.8.13. Thus, the regular supply of MDM was affected. Looking to the present position, it is recommended that agreement between the government and the contractor should be made in time so that there may not be any problem in running MDM scheme. 36

37. Challenges/ Suggestions • The system should be made so effective that the process takes place on right time at all levels in order to make the payment of remuneration to the cook-cum-helpers every month. • While having discussions with the district level Accounts officer, it emerged that his role and responsibilities were too many for him to manage and monitor MDMs in the field and as such at least two clerks should be deployed in his office so that there may be smooth sailing in running the scheme properly in the district. • Trainings to District/ Blocks and schools team on better management of MDM. • Serving plates were less than the required nos. in majority of schools. • SMC should realize the importance of MDM. • Need to devise self driven system for MDM at Schools. • Quality of MDM should be improved especially in schools supplied by NGO/SHG. • Studies may be given priority. Repeated highlights may improve the scenario though – RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR MDM ONLY/ STUDIES/ EVALUATIONS. • EFFORTS ON MONITORING AT STATE, DISTRICT & BLOCKS SHOILD BE MORE THAN/ DOUBLE THAN PLANNING A SCHEME. 37

38. Let ensure Quality MDM for Every Child……. Children taking MDM