Offended with a Bengaluru school’s order to parents to follow a diet plan for children, parents of RTE-beneficiary students have approached the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR).
According to The Times of India report, Srinidhi Public School in Srinidhi Layout, Chunchaghatta Main Road, Konanakunte, had issued a notice asking parents to follow the menu given by the school.
The newspaper reported that the children are asked to carry a banana every day and on Saturdays they are allowed to carry food items of their choice provided it is vegetarian.
As RTE beneficiaries, these parents are finding it a burden, as they are already struggling to make ends meet.
“Our paltry pay doesn't allow us to meet these requirements. Since we haven't been sending food prescribed by the school, the authorities have been harassing our kids. Moreover, we can't cook different items for different family members every day,” said a parent.
However the school management refuted the parents’ allegations of harassment saying that the diet plan was a part of the school from the beginning, and it was to ensure that the children are well-nourished.
“Otherwise we get to see junk food, including samosas and noodles, in the tiffin box,” said a senior teacher.
“This is only to maintain students' health. We have also made martial arts compulsory from class 1. We have informed parents if they can't follow the diet chart, they have to write a letter to us to send the food of their choice,” said the principal.
“We are not differentiating among students. Only the chairperson and I know who are the RTE beneficiaries,” the principal added.
Nagasimha G Rao, task force convener, alleged that the school authorities were confiscating lunch boxes of students who don’t follow the diet chart.
Y Mariswamy, member of KSCPCR, said that they have brought the issue to the RTE task force's notice.
“We have registered a complaint. School authorities are not dietitians. They can't decide what students should eat. We will issue a summons to the school,” he said.