School draws up diet chart, irks parents

Bengaluru: If it's idli-dosa for Monday, it's stuffed parathas for Friday. Tuesday has cooked veggies on the menu and Wednesday, the humble upma. This is not the fare dished out by a hostel canteen or a diet plan chalked out by a nutritionist. A private school has told parents what to pack in their kids' lunch box, asking them to follow the chart.
Srinidhi Public School in Srinidhi Layout, Chunchaghatta Main Road, Konanakunte, has issued a notice -TOI has a copy of it -to parents to stick to the menu.However, parents of RTE beneficiaries are finding it difficult owing to their moderate means. Apart from breakfast and lunch items, students are also required to carry bananaany other fruit to school on five days of the week. Saturday is the only day they can bring food of their choice, provided it's vegetarian.
Parents of RTE students were shocked when school authorities issued the diet plan. With their limited income, they can't afford to buy fruits every day, a group of parents told TOI. We are struggling to make ends meet.
Our paltry pay doesn't allow us to meet these requirements. Since we haven't been sending food prescribed by the school, the authorities have been harassing our kids. Moreover, we can't cook different items for differ ent family members every day ,“ said a parent, echoing the views of his ilk. Denying allegations of harassment, the principal said the diet plan has been a part of the school since its inception.
Though many schools recommend diet plans, whether they impose them on parents is not known. A senior teacher from a private school in Vijayanagar said many institutions hand over diet charts to parents to ensure kids are wellnourished. “Otherwise we get to see junk food, including samosas and noodles, in the tiffin box,“ she said.
Y Mariswamy, member, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), told TOI parents hesitate to approach the rights body, fearing school authorities may be harsher on the kids. However, they have brought the issue to the RTE task force's notice, which has filed a complaint with KPCPCR. “We have registered a complaint. School authorities are not dietitians. They can't decide what students should eat.We will issue a summons to the school,“ he said. Nagasimha G Rao, task force convener, alleged school authorities are taking away the lunch boxes of those kids who bring dishes other than what's listed in the chart. He termed the move unjustifiable.
`Those who can't follow diet plan have to give it in writing'
“This is only to maintain students' health. We have also made martial arts compulsory from class 1. We have informed parents if they can't follow the diet chart, they have to write us a letter to send the food of their choice,“ said the principal.“We are not differentiating among students. Only the chairperson and I know who are the RTE beneficiaries,“ the principal added.