Primary schools to compete for ‘Beautiful Kitchen’ award

In a unique initiative to promote hygiene and cleanliness in government primary schools, the District Education Office (Elementary), has launched a campaign to encourage schools to maintain ‘Beautiful Kitchens’ under the mid-day meal scheme.

To motivate managements and mid-day meal workers, a competition will be held in August at the circle, block and district levels and schools with the best-maintained kitchens will be awarded.

The key focus of the initiative is to ensure that meals are prepared in a clean and smokeless environment. Schools are being encouraged to switch to gas cylinders for cooking. Several parameters have been laid down to assess kitchens —including proper maintenance of doors and windows, personal hygiene of cooks (with tied hair and covered heads), spices stored in containers, use of mustard oil, functioning RO water systems and proper upkeep of the food tasting registers. Schools are also being motivated to develop kitchen gardens wherever space allows.

The mid-day meal should also be prepared according to the number of students present to avoid wastage. DEO Ravinder Kaur said, “This is another step to motivate schools at the district level to ensure cleanliness in kitchen areas so that students receive hygienically prepared meals.”

During recent visits to various schools, the DEO found some kitchens to be well-maintained, while others, such as the one at Government Primary School, Dugri, were found lacking. “Directions have been issued to the schools concerned. All schools have been given a month’s time to upgrade their kitchens as per the given parameters,” she added.

The winners of the ‘Beautiful Kitchen’ competition will be announced after inspections in August. Circle level competitions will be held on August 18, block level on August 21 and then the district level competition will be on August 25.

While teachers appreciated the move initiated by the DEO, they maintained that much would depend on the grants released by the government. “Ultimately, every change can be brought if we have sufficient financial resources,” said a teacher in the Civil Lines area.

Ludhiana