An allegation has surfaced that government-allocated mid-day meal bread meant for students was thrown into a pond at Kochi-Kachi Government Primary School in Chandpur’s Matlab municipal town. Locals saw the school’s ayah, Lipi Das, throwing the bread into the pond around 9am on Thursday (September 17), sparking discontent in the area.
Several angry parents said food the government had allocated for children’s nutrition being thrown into a pond, rather than given to students, could not be accepted under any circumstances, and demanded strict punishment for those responsible. The school’s headteacher, Md Kamrul Islam, said: “Attendance was low on the day the bread was distributed, so some of it was left over. Since it had gone bad, it was thrown into the pond.”
Upazila primary education officer (acting) Mohammad Abdul Hai said: “After receiving the report, I came to the school and had the bread recovered from the pond. Show-cause notices have been issued to the relevant teachers, and necessary action will be taken pending an investigation.” Upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) K M Ishmam said: “After learning of the matter, the upazila primary education officer has been tasked with investigating the incident in detail. Legal action will be taken once the investigation report is received.”