Irked by poor quality of lunch being served, students stage protest on school premises

Students in Thoothukudi protest poor school lunch quality, demanding transfer of cook and organizer for nutritious meal scheme.

Protesting the poor quality of lunch being served to them in their school, 61 students of Panchayat Union Middle School at Keezha Mangalam near Ottapidaaram in the district staged a dharna on the school premises on Friday.

 The agitating students said the quality of lunch being served was ‘poor’ and complained that they were served half-boiled rice with worms and moths at times, which caused health issues to some of the students.

 Moreover, the eggs being served along with the lunch were also half-boiled and were not suitable for consumption.

 “When we questioned about the quality of food, cook Rani verbally abused us. Besides ensuring quality food in our school, the authorities concerned should transfer the nutritious meal scheme organizer and the cook to some other place,” the protesting students complained even as their parents stood on the school premises.

“While, teachers teach properly and treat us well, the cook verbally abuses us when we question her about the poor quality of food being prepared by her”, the students said.

 “When I complained to her about the poor quality of the lunch on last Friday, she verbally abused me and asked me to bring lunch from home. When, I went to get lunch this Monday, she again told me that I should bring lunch only from my home and refused to serve me. Since most of the students don’t take lunch in the school due to poor quality, the cook discards the food in the nearby pond,” said another student.

 On getting information about the agitation, officials from the Department of School Education including Block Education Officer Bhavanandeeswaran, and the Pasuvanthanai police arrived at the school to hold talks with the students. As the students were firm in their demand of ensuring the transfer of the cook under question and the nutritious meal scheme organiser, the officials, in an attempt to end the agitation, threatened them that they would transfer their teachers. This turned the situation worse as the students began to cry inconsolably.