Chennai, 12 Oct (H.S.): The Tamil Nadu Government Employees and Teachers Welfare Association has urged the state government to withdraw a notification assigning the same teacher to supervise both breakfast and midday meal programmes in schools, following objections from teachers.

The association has submitted its demand to School Education Minister Rajmohan, School Education Secretary Innocent Divya, School Education Director Latha and Elementary Education Director Naresh, seeking reconsideration of the arrangement prescribed under the monitoring guidelines.

The breakfast programme was introduced in 2022 for students studying in Classes 1 to 5 in government and government-aided schools. It has since been expanded to cover students in Classes 6, 7 and 8 and renamed the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme.

The Chief Minister inaugurated the expanded programme on September 22, extending its benefits to middle-school students.

Guidelines issued for monitoring the programme direct school heads to designate a teacher working in the school as the supervising teacher on a rotational basis. The designated teacher is responsible for overseeing the breakfast service and checking the food before it is distributed to students.

Under the instructions, breakfast must be served between 8.30 a.m. and 8.50 a.m. Students can receive their meals only after the supervising teacher has tasted and checked the food beforehand.

The supervision arrangements have drawn opposition from teachers, particularly the provision requiring one teacher to oversee both the morning and afternoon meal services.

The association has called for the withdrawal of the notification covering this dual responsibility. Its representation places the issue before senior officials responsible for school education and elementary education, as well as the minister.

The demand concerns the allocation of monitoring duties under the meal programmes. The association has sought a revision of the arrangement that assigns breakfast and midday meal supervision to the same teacher during the school day.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman