About 30 pupils of a government primary school in Baliadangi, Thakurgaon, have fallen ill after eating food served under the mid-day meal scheme. They have been admitted to the Baliadangi upazila health complex. Several other pupils have fallen ill and are being treated at home.
The incident took place on Monday afternoon at Madhupur-1 government primary school in the upazila. The pupils said their stomachs began to hurt after they drank milk served as part of the mid-day meal. As one after another fell ill, teachers and parents took them quickly to the upazila health complex.
Baliadangi upazila primary education officer Atul Chandra Roy said the sick pupils were being treated. The matter was being looked into, he said, and the necessary steps would be taken.
Several of the pupils said milk and bread were served at Monday’s mid-day meal. Their stomachs began to hurt immediately after they drank the milk.
The mid-day meal scheme has been running in Baliadangi as a pilot project since January, one of the seven upazilas of Thakurgaon. Pupils at 138 government primary schools in the upazila are being supplied with various foods five days a week.
Eggs and bread are served on Sunday, milk and bread on Monday, bananas and biscuits on Tuesday, and eggs and bread on Wednesday and Thursday. The eggs, bread and bananas are supplied by the local organisation ESDO. The milk is supplied by an organisation called RD and the biscuits by the Pran company.