Education Department Tightens Monitoring of Mid-Day Meal Scheme to Curb Fake Attendance and Ensure Food Quality

Patna: The Bihar Education Department is taking strict measures to prevent fake student attendance and ensure food quality under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in government schools. Headmasters have been instructed to submit daily certificates verifying meal distribution and actual attendance of students.

According to directives issued by Dr. S. Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, all District Program Officers (Mid-Day Meal Scheme) must enforce rigorous daily monitoring across schools catering to students from Classes 1 to 8.

As per the new guidelines, each school will be required to prepare a daily certificate following the distribution of mid-day meals. This certificate must include the signatures of the headmaster or head teacher and all teachers present on that day. The form will be attached to the bill for meal materials of the corresponding date and kept on record.

Mandatory Documentation for Payment to Voluntary Organizations

For schools where voluntary organizations are responsible for meal preparation and distribution, payment will only be made once the District Program Officer receives all required certificates from the respective schools for the entire month. Bills submitted without these reference certificates will be deemed invalid.

Irregularities Detected in Current Practice

The department has taken note of reports indicating that some schools have failed to maintain proper certification of meal distribution. Despite this, payments have reportedly been made to voluntary organizations without the required documentation—an act that falls under financial irregularity, according to the department.

To address this, district officials have been instructed to ensure that:

• Headmasters submit daily reports in the prescribed format to the District Program Officer.
• Voluntary organizations collect and submit monthly certification forms from all affiliated schools before receiving payment.

Payments will only be processed once the certificates are verified and the department is satisfied with compliance. No exceptions will be made for incomplete or uncertified documentation.