DHAKA — The Directorate of Primary Education has issued new instructions to ensure proper implementation of the Government Primary School Feeding Program, requiring head teachers to verify the quality of food before accepting deliveries from supplier firms.
If a supplier delivers substandard or defective food, head teachers must refuse it and immediately notify higher authorities, the directorate said in a letter sent Thursday, May 14, to every district primary education officer.
Officers must forward the letter to head teachers at participating schools under their jurisdiction and report back to the directorate within three working days confirming that all relevant head teachers have received it.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education said complaints have come in from primary schools in several upazilas about spoiled bread, rotten eggs and small or rotten bananas being distributed. The shortfall in food quality undermines the program’s goals and could put young children’s health at risk, making it essential to ensure quality, the ministry said.
The directive lists the quality checks head teachers must carry out. Before accepting or distributing food, they must confirm that the quantity and quality match the specifications and that delivery and distribution take place on the dates and times set in the work order. Schools must store and distribute the food in ways that preserve its quality.
Bread must be fresh, soft and properly packaged, with intact packaging free of tears, moisture, mold, rot or odor. Packets must show the manufacturing date, expiration date and net weight of 120 grams.
Eggs must be checked for cracks, odor, sliminess or visible contamination. Bananas must be free of spots and insects; overripe or rotten bananas may not be accepted or distributed. For UHT milk and fortified biscuits, packaging must be intact and labels must show manufacturing date, expiration date and net weight, the directive said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report