Bose - Dead or Alive

Schools Stressed - Food Wasted

Dear Madam,

I believe there were hardly any parent in the orientation program of class VI who didn’t felt the pinch  of tifin wastage, which all of us prepare with so much of love and care. At the end of the session while  discussing and suggesting to look for an option to counter this issue of food wastage, we were told to  fed the child early morning with heavy breakfast so that this wastage of tiffin wont be too much of a  problem. Madam when we adults don't feel like having a wholesome breakfast at 6.30 in morning how  can we expect a child to have it. Moreover mostly we are working parents and morning time is a very  stressful time for all of us, so I think her suggestion was not wise enough rather we should look for  options to counter this issue. Few such option can be :

1. Make a student of the class responsible for monitoring that tiffin is enjoyed by  everyone of that      class and he maintains a database of those who fail to do so.      Counselling may be done for those children.

2. Conduct workshops/ seminars to inspire not to waste food, as we do for conserving water, electricity etc

3. School staffs can also take an extra responsibilities to counter this wastage.

4. Healthy foods to be kept  in school canteen like fruits, Milk, sprouts instead of the oily bread roll      with spicy sauce, chips etc.

5. Drawing competition on food wastage.

6. Reading out articles/ stories/ showing videos on food wastage to students

7. Reward and recognition to the student/ Staff/ Teacher who has set an exam-plenary work in      countering food wastage.

May be we call on a day as - No food wastage day once in a fortnight.  Somehow we got to create the  buzz that food wastage is not good as there are so many children in this world who dies due to lack of  food. Madam please try to understand that this is a serious issue and if it is not stopped at this age it  will continue in their adulthood too. This should also be a part of education for the child.

We need to bring some changes in the school canteen too. Healthy foods should be available like fruit  salads, sprouts, milk, boiled eggs and many such things. Once in a week or 15 days there can be  chatpata available in canteen.

Eating healthy and at the right time goes a long way in the overall development of the child. I love this  school and I have contributed my little bit through photography in this school and I feel I am morally  responsible to not only point out the issue concerning every child but also to work towards countering  it. This letter is my first action towards it. And I will be happy to conduct workshops, seminars for  staffs and children's to inspire them in not wasting food.

I will appreciate to see the changes we all parents wish to see in our child and the love and care of  school authorities in this direction.

One more issue I would like to bring in is the PBL/ FLIP activity. Most of the time it is not the child  who does it but the parents. And I have done nos of times. Somehow I feel we should come up with  some mechanism that the child is inspired to do the same in school itself through the support system  of the teachers rather then looking up to their parents to do the same.

Hope the school authorities would be able to look into these two issues concerning all of us and take  appropriate actions that deemed fit.

Thanking You,