Bengaluru: The Department of School Education and Literacy has served notices to 568 schools found distributing bananas to students instead of eggs under the midday meal scheme.
The action follows an inspection by the Azim Premji Foundation, which funds the supply of eggs in government and aided schools across the state. The foundation surveyed 762 schools and discovered that a majority were violating the prescribed guidelines.
According to the report, many schools were providing eggs only two or three days a week rather than the mandated six days. The inefficiency of the School Development Monitoring Committees (SDMCs) was identified as a key reason for this lapse.
In some cases, schools were offering bananas on Mondays and Saturdays without seeking consent from parents, even though children were ready to eat eggs. Other schools were splitting the distribution equally between eggs and bananas throughout the week, contravening the scheme’s objectives.
The department has issued a warning stating that disciplinary measures will be taken against institutions that continue to defy the rules. Officials emphasised that the nutrition programme is critical for children’s health and should be implemented without compromise.
Authorities are expected to monitor compliance more closely in the coming months to ensure students receive the intended benefits.