The government’s newly launched mid-day meal programme intended to boost attendance in primary schools has drawn complaints within a week of rollout, with teachers reporting reduced food portions, missing deliveries and children being given unripe bananas instead of ripe fruit.
Multiple schools in Kurigram’s Roumari upazila, including Jadurchar Natungram Government Primary School, Jadurchar Government Primary School, Kashiyabari Government Primary School, Dakshin Bausmari Government Primary School and Char Barobandha Government Primary School, confirmed similar issues when contacted.
Under the official menu, schools are scheduled to receive buns and boiled eggs on Sundays, buns and liquid milk on Mondays, fortified biscuits and seasonal fruit or bananas on Tuesdays, and buns with eggs again on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Quantities for each item are fixed in grams.
However, teachers say contractors are not following the guidelines and have not coordinated with head teachers or education officials.
Lutful Haque, head teacher of Char Barobandha Government Primary School, said his school has 94 students but received eggs and buns for only 70 children on the 18th. “On the 19th I received only buns, and since then no more food has been supplied,” he said.
At Jadurchar Natungram Government Primary School, head teacher Begum Monowara said food delivery started on the 18th with buns and bananas, “but the quantity was low.” The next day only buns were delivered. “Now they have sent only bananas, but they are completely unripe and unfit to eat. They won’t ripen even in the next seven days.”
She said a contractor’s representative told her they had taken the job after agreeing to a 30% price cut, which is contributing to distribution problems.
Sub-contractor Lipu, who supplied the bananas, said the wholesaler had delivered unripe fruit and called it an unintentional mistake.
Island Trading, the company contracted to supply food, said they received the work order at short notice. District coordinator Raihan said, “We haven’t yet been able to speak to the upazila officer, district education officer or teachers. There may be some issues for now, but we hope to supply meals properly from 1 December.”
Roumari Upazila Primary Education Officer Md Moinul Hossain acknowledged receiving similar complaints and said the matter would be reported to higher authorities.
District Education Officer Swapan Kumar Roy Chowdhury said the programme started in Roumari and Rajibpur on the 18th. “The contractor has not given us any agreement and has not met with us. They are doing this work on their own.”
Regarding next steps, he said the contractor must collect its bill through the education officer. “At that stage, the education officer will certainly intervene.”
