GUWAHATI, Oct 6 - To streamline the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education or the midday meal scheme, the State government is coming up with a slew of measures which would be implemented from the next academic session.
Launching the initiative of releasing the monthly honorarium to the cook-cum-helper of midday meal scheme in their personal bank account today, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the cost of cooking of midday meal will be sent directly to the schools from January next year.
It needs to be mentioned that the midday meal at present covers 57,627 schools and a total of 45,66,624 children. The cook cost per child per day in lower primary is Rs 4.13 and Rs 6.18 in upper primary.
On the other hand, the honorarium of the cook-cum-helper of midday meal scheme will be directly deposited in their bank accounts from now onwards. �This is a big reformation which will benefit the cook-cum-helper of midday meal scheme. We are also planning to provide social security to all those involved in the midday meal scheme, TET teachers and other employees. Very soon we will launch an insurance scheme for them,� said Sarma before mediapersons, adding that this social security scheme is likely to be effective from April 1 next year.
Sarma, further elaborating on the reformations that are to be brought in to the education sector, said that from April next year attendance of teachers would be tracked through mobiles. He also warned that the salary bills of the teachers would be prepared based on this mobile tracking.
For bringing in accountability and improving the quality of education at the primary level, the education department is also contemplating borrowing the Gujarat model of Gunotsav. Sarma said that assessment of schools will be conducted in the first week of April next year in line with the Gujarat model, which has proved very effective.
Sarma also announced that by October 26 this year, an amount of around Rs 43.56 crore will be disbursed as compensation to all the colleges for the revenue loss incurred by giving free admission to students.
