Dr. R. C. Patel Nodal Officer and Associate Professor, Department of Education [CASE], Faculty of Education and Psychology, The M. S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat

Location of Bharuch, Tapi, Vadodara and Valsad districts in the state of Gujarat

Date of Visit 1. Bharuch: to Tapi: to Vadodara: to Valsad: to

Visit made by the Nodal Officer  On 2 nd October, 2010 the Nodal Officer visited the AIE center at Aliabet of Bharuch district and monitored the various functions of the center.  During 27 th October to 30 st October, 2010 the Nodal Officer visited to the schools of all four districts for monitoring the implementation of SSA in general and KGBVs in particular of Valsad (Kaparada), Tapi (Nizar) and Vadodara (Chhota Udepur and Naswadi blocks) districts.

Sharing/submission of the draft report  The Nodal Officer visited to Gandhinagar on 4 th November to submit the draft report on SSA to the SPD office and on 26 th November, for sharing the draft report with the then SPD  MDM report was sent to The Commissioner, MDM through post and later sent reminder through .  Do not know whether received or not  Did not receive any feedback.

 Hence; the hard copy of the report was then posted to the MDMS office on 26 th November, Then after, a last reminder was send through on 20 th December, However; even after continuous follow up and waiting for more than one and a half months’ time the MI did not receive any feedback/ suggestion/ comment on the draft report for incorporating it into final report. Thus; there was a delay in submission of the final report to MHRD, New Delhi.

Number of Schools Visited/ Sampling  5% schools were selected randomly from each block of each district to represent the entire population.  AIE centers and KGBVs were also visited.

Sr. No.DistrictsNo. of Schools visitedNo. of AIE centers visited/ functional No. of KGBV visited/ functional 1Bharuch4444 2Tapi4361 3Vadodara11921/962/4 4Valsad54-1  Out of total 44 schools visited in Bharuch district; 1 school; Ashram Shala was closed since 1 year.  Out of total 119 selected schools in Vadodara district; 16 schools were not functioning on the day of visit though there was no declared public holiday.

Major Observations

Bharuch [Total Schools visited 44]:  In 42 schools MDM was served hot, in 1 school MDM was not served (Panchpipla Prathamik Shala, Jambusar block; because there were only 3 students in grade 1 to 4).  In 32 schools the weekly menu was available.  No school had display the weekly menu.  In 29 schools the menu was followed.

 There was variety in the meal served in all 42 schools where MDM was served.  All 42 schools where MDM was served, were receiving the food grains regularly.  The buffer stock of one month’s requirement was maintained in all these schools.

 Out of 42 schools where MDM was served; the quality of meal in 39 schools was good, fair in 1 school, while poor in 2 schools.  The quantity of meal was adequate in 41 schools, while inadequate in 1 school (the reason given by the school authorities was that more number of children had meal in compare to the number of students who opted for meal).

 In 31 schools there was a pucca kitchen shed (these included 1 school where MDM was not served), while in 12 schools it was not.  All 31 kitchen shed were in use.  In 1 school the kitchen shed was sanctioned (the school presently used to cook food in the school campus).  Potable water was not available in 8 schools (including 1 school which was closed).

 MI’s impression on hygiene was good for 29 schools, fair for 10 schools and poor for 3 schools.  In 33 schools children were encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating, while in 9 schools they were not.  The participation of parents and VEC members was poor in 31 schools, while in 11 schools it was fair.

Tapi [Total Schools visited 43]:  39 schools used to serve hot MDM.  In 4 schools MDM was closed since a week (as no stock was available).  In 36 schools the weekly menu was available.  No school had displayed the menu.  The weekly menu was followed by 23 schools only.  In 31 schools there was a variety in the food served; while in 8 schools it was not.

 24 schools were receiving the food grains regularly while 19 schools were not.  The buffer stock of one month’s requirement was maintained in 24 schools.  The quality of meal in 31 schools was good; fair in 3 schools, poor in 5 schools, while in 4 schools MDM was not served.  The quantity of meal was adequate in 33 schools while inadequate in 6 schools.

 In 38 schools there was a pucca kitchen shed (these also included the schools where MDM was not served on the day of visit).  In 5 out of 38 schools the kitchen shed was not used. (These include 1 school where MDM was served but kitchen shed was not used).  Thus; all except 1; kitchen shed were in use where MDM was served; hence 33 kitchen shed were in use.  In 2 schools the kitchen shed was under construction.  Hence; rest 6 schools used to cook food at some other place.

 In 9 schools drinking water facility was not available.  MI’s impression on hygiene was good for 30 schools, fair for 8 schools, while poor for 1 school (School no. 9, Chikhalpada Pra. Shaala, the students were sitting in dirty and stinking place for having the meal).  In all 39 schools where MDM was served, the children were encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating.  The participation of parents and VEC members was poor in 30 schools, good in 4 schools, while in 5 schools it was fair.

A kitchen shed in use, Karanjvel Prathamik Shala, Tapi.

Vadodara [Total Schools visited 119]:  93 schools served hot cooked meal daily, 5 schools did not serve hot meal; while students of 1 school were send out for a tithi bhojan (School no. 96, Sandha Prathamik Shaala), 1 school did not serve the meal due to examination (School no.16, Mandala High school). Hence total 99 schools served MDM on the day of visit. 16 schools were not functioning on the day of visit; while in 3 schools MDM was not served (School no. 1, 37, 40, Balavant Pra. Shala, Pachhiyapura Pra. Shala and Chhodvani Pra. Shala).

 In 2 schools the MDM organizer was not present and the stock was not available, while in 1 school no. 40; the cook was not available).  It was reported in 5 schools that there was delay in MDM. The duration of delay was about 2 hours. 2 schools did not report the reason for the delay in serving the meal, while 3 schools said that the NGO did not bring the meal on time. (Total in 14 schools the meal was cooked and brought to the schools by the NGOs).

 In 14 schools MDM was prepared and brought by NGOs.  In 83 schools the weekly menu was available in file.  From which 76 schools were following the menu displayed.

 70 out of 84 schools where the meal was not brought from the NGO and cooked by the schools were receiving food grains regularly, 14 schools did not, while in other 14 schools the meal was served by the NGOs.  There was variety in the food served in 94 schools, while it was not in 4 schools.  The buffer stock of one month’s requirement was maintained in 70 schools.

 The quality of meal in 92 schools was good, fair in 2 schools, poor in 4 schools (School no.10, 13, 48,111. In school no 10 and13 there were worms found in the meal), out of the total 98 schools where MDM was served on the day of visit.  The quantity of meal was adequate in 94 schools while inadequate in 4 schools (School no. 4, 23, 48, 111. In school no. 111 the MDM in charge was not available, in school no.48 same meal was served daily, on the day of visit only cooked rice was served in this school).

 In 84 schools there was a pucca kitchen shed,  71 were in use, while in rest of the schools it was not in use (In most of the schools, the kitchen shed was completely filled with water due to rainy season and hence; the kitchen shed was not in use, while in few schools the number of children was very few and hence; the meal was brought from another school or else cooked at the cook’s house).

 In 85 out of 103 schools (16 schools were not functioning on the day of visit) schools potable water was available for cooking and drinking purpose. Hence; drinking water facility was not available in 18 out of 103 schools, while 34 out of 119 schools.

 MI’s impression on hygiene was good for 90 schools, fair for 5 schools and poor for 3 schools.  In 82 out of 98 schools where MDM was served; the children were encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating, while in 16 schools they were not.  The participation was poor in 87 schools, in 11 schools it was fair and in 5 schools it was good.

Valsad [Total Schools visited 54]:  In 52 schools the MDM was served out of which, 28 schools served hot cooked meal daily, 24 schools did not serve hot meal. Most of the schools (In 30 schools the MDM was cooked and served by NGOs) in which the meal was brought before time by the NGO as a result; the meal served was not hot, while in 2 schools the MDM was not served on the day of visit. (School no. 10, 17, Shingarmal Pra. Shaala. The MDM was not served since 15 days as the cook was not coming even though he was called up repeatedly; the MDM organizer was also not available. In Kashtonia Pra. Shala, here the MDM was not served because of heavy rainfall on the day of visit).

 It was reported by the schools that; there was no delay in serving the meal.  The menu was available in 39 schools  The menu was not displayed in any school.  Only 20 schools followed the displayed menu.

 In 36 schools it was reported that; there was a variety in the meal served to the students.  41 schools were receiving food grains/meal regularly; while 15 schools were not. The reason for the delay was not reported by the school authorities.  The buffer stock of one month’s requirement was maintained in all the 22 schools where the meal was prepared in the school.

 The quality of meal in 19 schools was good, it was fair in 1 school, poor in 32 schools, while no MDM was served in 2 schools.  The quantity of meal was adequate in 26 schools; while inadequate in 26 schools. (A student in one of the school of Pardi block complained that worms were found in the meal and hence the meal was not consumed by her).

 In 31 schools there was a pucca kitchen shed; while in 23 schools the pucca kitchen shed was not available.  Out of the total 22 schools where the meal was cooked, in 17 schools the kitchen shed was in use, while in rest 5 schools it was not used.  In 1 school it was under construction, while in 1 school the kitchen shed was only sanctioned.

 Potable water was available in 38 schools.  The MI’s impression on hygiene was good for 29 schools, fair for 14 schools and poor for 9 schools.  In 46 schools children were encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating while; in 6 schools they were not.

 As reported by the school authorities, the participation was good in 4 schools; in 8 schools it was fair, while it was poor in 42 schools. No record was available regarding this.

A temporary kitchen Shed, Burla Prathamik Shala, Kaparada, Valsad.

An unused kitchen shed, Koparli Prathamil Shala, Pardi, Valsad

 Common Observations regarding MDM for all the four districts: 1. In vegetables; only potatoes, tomatoes and onions were added in MDM. 2. Menu was not displayed and in many of schools the menu was not followed.

Attendance of Students

AttendanceBharuchTapiVadodaraValsad Enrolment Register present 4493 (78.83%)4274 (83.60%)10541 (74.34%)6811 (78.40%) Head Count4370 (76.68%)3804 (74.41%)1024 (72.23%)6733 (77.50%) MDM as per Register 4467 (78.38%)3591 (70.24%)9790 (69.05%)6811 (78.40%) Students availed MDM 3789 (66.48%)3718 (72.73%)8779 (61.91%)5603 (64.49%)

Menu

Kitchen Shed Available and in Use

Participation level of Parents and VEC members

A Glance…..

Students washing hands before MDM, Kavitha Prathamik Shala, Bharuch

Kavitha Prathamik Shala, Bharuch

Students sitting and having MDM in an orderly manner. Kavitha Prathamik Shala, Bharuch

A special provision of MDM started for the children of AIE center at Aliabet, Bharuch

A child having watery Dal dhokdi, Karanjvel, Tapi.

Students rinsing their utensils after having MDM, Burla Shala, Kaparada, Valsad

Children sitting in queue for the MDM, Burla shala, Kaparada, Valsad

Children having Sukhdi, Burla shala, Kaparada, Valsad

Teachers serving meal to the students having brought by the NGO in the morning, Dhanoli Pra. Shala, Umargaon, Valsad

Students served difficult to chew sakkarpada Audhyogic Prathamik Shala, Pardi, Valsad

Children having dry khichdi in MDM, Koparli Pra. Shala, Pardi, Valsad Siro prepared in the MDM. (Navinagari Pra. Shala, Block: Dharampur, Valsad).

Children having meal, Karanjvel Prathmik Shala, Valsad

Children washing their hands. Karajvel Prathamk Shala, Valsad

Very few students having MDM brought by NGO in the corridor; while others having the meal having brought from their homes inside the classroom. (Kharvel Pra. Shala, Block: Valsad).

The MDM In charge and the cook taking out the wheet flour to prepare sukhdi at 1:20 p.m. (recess time was 1:30 p.m.) after the surprise visit made by the MI. The sukhdi prepared was half cooked and of low quality. It was also reported that the children were served with only sukhdi since a month as no other cooking material was available. Few (72 out of 244) children sitting in queue to have MDM,, Valsad Dry and half cooked sukhdi served in MDM

Thank You