Fact-finding
Report on “Implementation of MDM and ICDS programme” in
Jamankira Block of Sambalpur district.
Mid-Day-Meal and Integrated Child Development Service
are the two most important food
security programme to provide nutritious food to the children free of cost. While the ICDS programme is being implemented
through Anganwadi Centre, MDM is provided to the children in Govt. and Govt.-aided primary schools. Both these programme have suffered a lot due to mismanagement, irregularities ,
lack of proper monitoring and
robust grievance redressal
mechanism. The helpers are also seen not trained to cook and
prepare food for the children.
As part of Citizen Monitoring exercise, 3- member
Team of Right to Food Campaign, Odisha
had visited to
Jamankira Block to monitor the implementation
of above-mentioned these programme on 5th and 6th Nov.15. The
Team members were Sri Pradip Pradhan, Sri Manohar Chouhan and Sri
Chaitanya. The Team members visited
number of the schools and Anganawadi centres to understand the management of
the programme, quality of food served, allotment of fund and infrastructure available in the schools
and the Anganwadi centre etc. and
interacted with the teachers, children
and Panchayat representatives and
villagers, SMC members seeking
their views and experience about
management of MDM and AWC
in their respective villages. The
Details of the Schools and the Anganwadi Centres visited by the Team is as
follows.
Mid-day-Meal
|
Sl.
|
Name of GP
|
Name of village
|
Name of School
|
Remarks
|
1
|
Mundenpali
|
Mundenpali
|
Mundenpali Project Upper Primary
School
|
|
2
|
|
Sapalat
|
Sapalat Up-graded Primary School
|
|
3
|
|
Sankundesara
|
Sankundesara Primary School
|
|
4
|
|
Rengalpali
|
Rengalpali Primary School
|
|
5
|
|
Karlapat
|
Kalapat Primary School
|
|
6
|
|
Phulkusum
|
Phulkusum Primary School
|
|
7
|
Katangpani
|
Katangpani
|
Katangpani Ashram School
|
|
8
|
|
San Bhaluchuan
|
San Bhaluchuan Primary School
|
|
9
|
|
Sarei
|
Sarei Project Upper Primary
School
|
|
10
|
|
Badagachhar
|
Badagachhar Primary School
|
|
Integrated Child
Development Scheme
|
1
|
|
Ghusurguda
|
Ghusuruguda Anganwadi Centre
|
|
2
|
|
Sardabahal
|
Sardabahal Anganwadi entre
|
|
3
|
|
Sankundesara
|
Sankundesara Anganwadi Centre
|
|
Mundenpali Project Upper Primary School
The School is
having 206 students. In this year, total number of 10 children has taken
admission in Class-1 of the school. The
trend of decrease in the enrolment of the students in the school in every year in class-1 is as follows.
Class-1
|
10
|
Class-2
|
22
|
Class-3
|
33
|
Class-4
|
11
|
Class-5
|
31
|
Class-6
|
48
|
Class-7
|
51
|
On query about
decrease in admission in the school, the Head Master clarified that as the Private schools like Sishu Mandir
and Aurobindo Schools are opened, the parents are preferring these schools to
get their children admitted. But the
fact is that as the quality of education is deteriorating in the Govt. schools, the parents are found reluctant to
enrol their children in the Govt.
schools. Prasant Panda, school teacher said that they
were not aware about allotment
of quantity of rice earmarked to the School per month. The supply of the
rice is regulated in view of the requirement of the school and supply of the
Transport Agent. The release of fund for MDM is also not regular to the school.
Many times, the teachers are forced to manage MDM by borrowing money and
materials from the local shop. On query
about remuneration received, Smt. Hira Kishan, Cook-um-Helper told the Team
that she had not received it since last 4 months.
Sapalat UGUP School
This school has
strength of 125 children. But there is
very irregular in attendance of the Children. During the visit, it was observed that very small number of the
children are coming to the school. The
present of the children in the class on the day of the visit of the Team is as
follows.
Class-1
|
15
|
Class-2
|
8
|
Class-3
|
9
|
Class-4
|
17
|
Class-5
|
28
|
It was also found that management of MDM is
good to some extend. Girija Prasad Patra
, Head Master of the School said that
there was irregular release of fund to the school. There is no kitchen
centre in the school.
3. Sanakundesara Primary School
Total no. of 13
children are enrolled in the school. Sachidanand Patel, Head Master
and Sribaschha Pradhan, Gana Sikhyak were working in the school. It was observed that
last year only one children had taken admission and in this year only 3
children admitted in the school. On query about small number of the children
being admitted in the school, they said
that the parents are not bringing
their children to the school. But the
Team observed through interaction with
the villagers that as the children are not provided education
properly and the teachers neglecting them,
they prefer to send their children to Private Schools. MDM is managed properly. The teachers were seen very lazy and
lethargic.
4. Rengalpali Primary School
The Team met
Sri Bishnu Ch. Das, Head Master of the School. There is no proper class
room for the children in the school. A new building sanctioned in 2010 is still
found incomplete today. Due to negligence of the authority and misappropriation
of fund by former Head Master, the building
has not been completed. Similarly, a kitchen shed is still under
construction for three years. Out of 19 children
enrolled in the school, only 12 children had attended the school on the day of
the visit of the Team. Though there is
small number of the children in the school, but 4 no. of big latrines sponsored by MCL and Indian Oil
Company have been constructed. MDM is
managed properly. The building of Kitchen shed was found incomplete.
5. Karlapat Primary School
Karlapat Primary school under Katangpani
Gram Panchayat has very low attendance
of the children in every class. The details of the attendance of the school are
as follows.
Class-I
|
4
|
Class-II
|
2
|
Class-III
|
5
|
Class-IV
|
5
|
Class-V
|
4
|
It was observed
that MDM is not managed properly. The
fund is being released in every 3 to 4 months.
The low attendance in the school is caused due to absence of the teacher and
lack of proper education in the school.
6. Phulkusum Primary School
The total attendance of the school is 36 out of
which only 29 children had attended the school on the day of the visit of the Team. The school has low attendance because the
parents do not prefer to send their children to the school. There are two teachers
Binod Bihari Arka, Head Master and
Surama Patel, SS teacher appointed in the school. Women SHG have been given responsibility to
manage the school. The Team could not meet members of women SHGs for feedback
about the management of MDM. But the Head
Master expressed satisfaction over the management of MDM by Women Group.
7. Sana Bhaluchuan Primary School
This school has
the record of decreasing trend in terms of enrolment which was presented
by Sabita Nayak, SS Teacher found
present in the school. The said information is as follows.
Class
|
Students’ strength
|
Class-I
|
2
|
Class-II
|
4
|
Class-III
|
4
|
Class-IV
|
7
|
Class-V
|
2
|
Total
|
19
|
On the day of the visit, only
16 children were present in the school
with absence of the Head Master. During discussion, it was found that fund for MDM has not been released since 5
months. The HM is managing MDM by borrowing materials from the local shop.
8. Sarei Project Upper Primary School
At first the
Team interacted with Sudarshan Biswal and
wanted to know the reason about
low attendance in the school. He
appraised the Team that many parents are
preferring to send their children to
Ashram School and Aurobido school. The details of
decrease in admission in Class-1 is as follows.
Class
|
Students’ strength
|
Class-I
|
4
|
Class-II
|
3
|
Class-III
|
5
|
Class-IV
|
4
|
Class-V
|
9
|
Class-VI
|
10
|
Class-VII
|
11
|
Class-VIII
|
9
|
MDM is
managed by Ma Tarini Woman SHG in the
school. At the time of the visit of the team, the members of woman SHG were
found busy along with cook and
Helper for preparation of food. The meal
was Rice and Dalma and found very tasty.
While verifying the Attendance Register, it was found that the Register has been manipulated to
increase in attendance in order to
misappropriate MDM fund. Fund is sanctioned once in three months interval.
9. Badagachhar Primary School
The Team met Gopal Krustan Kishan, Head Master and Reena Bag, SS Teacher and wanted to know about the
management of MDM. It was found very low attendance in the school. The
details is as follows.
Class
|
Students’ strength
|
Class-I
|
3
|
Class-II
|
4
|
Class-III
|
7
|
Class-IV
|
7
|
Class-V
|
3
|
The School is
experiencing same problem as the other
schools . Fund for MDM is released once
in 3 months. Women SHG is taking a lot of hardship to manage the same. They borrow the materials and manage MDM.
A. Ghusuruguda
Anganwadi Centre
The Team visited Ghusuruguda Anganwadi Centre and found
Dhanamati Kishan, Anganwadi Worker working there. It was found that 6 out of 17
children had come to the centre. The Aganwadi Worker had not
received her salary and fund for food since three months. The
Team observed the condition of the Centre
very precarious.
B. Sardabahal Aganwadi Centre
The Team met
Barijin Choudhury, Anganwadi Worker and
discussed with her about the condition of the Centre. Out of 23,
only 11 children were present in the centre and food was being served to them.
It was found that there is no building infrastructure of the centre. It is running
in a school verandah some times in verandah of the house of the Anganwadi
Worker. No Morning snacks are provided
to the children. No pre-school is running. The activity of the Anganwadi Worker
is confined to only providing food to the children.
Analysis and
Recommendation.
1. All the Schools are having low
attendance and the admission is decreasing in every year. The Team
is under impression that
as the quality of education is imparted, the parents are preferring to send their children to Private School.
Similarly, the academically conscious Tribal parents send their children to
Ashram Schools managed by SC and ST Dept. The Govt. Primary Schools are passing
through phase of crisis which requires
serious intervention of the Govt. to restore the credibility of the Govt. school education. So the Team feels to recommend that the State Govt. should make Third Party study about details of reason about
deceasing trend in admission and
take all the measures to restore the credibility of the school system and enjoy the confidence of the parents.
2. Fund for MDM is not released
regularly. It is common problem in all schools.
Due to financial problem, the
women SHGs face a lot of problem and
could not manage MDM effectively.
So it is recommended that Fund
should be released in advance in all Schools.
3. The District administration
should take steps to monitor utilisation of fund for kitchen shed
and finish the construction work at the earliest.
Report prepared by
Pradip Pradhan
M-9937843482
