Hundreds of students in schools across border-town Uri of Baramulla district are allegedly without mid-day meals for almost two months now.
A delegation of parents from Uri, Chandanwari, Julha and Boniyar educational zones informed GNS that their wards have been deprived of the essential mid-day meals in their respective schools.
“We are forced them to pack them lunch on our own”, they said adding even the cooks haven’t been paid cooking charges pending with the respective institutions.
When contacted, Zonal Education Officer Shah Muhammad told GNS that the issue has cropped up due to delay in allotment of required ration, especially rice. “We are facing delay in appropriation of of rice for quite a while now”, he said adding however recently the ration has been released and hopefully the (mid-day) meals are started very soon.
“The cooking charges will also disbursed soon”, he said.
Meanwhile Deputy CEO Baramulla feigned ignorance about the issue. “I don’t have any information about this”, he, however, was quick to add he will check and sort it out if there is any issue at all.
In a separate development, several teachers posted at various schools in the frontier town told GNS that they are facing difficulties in procuring rice (for mid-day meals) from ration depot located at tehsil headquarter. “We even are forced pay the transport charges out of our own pockets”, they said.
The teachers have appealed CEO Baramulla to facilitate the ferrying of commodities to the respective schools “so that they don’t have to face any difficulty in future”. (GNS)