Corporation school kitchen awarded ISO certification

The noon-meal kitchen at the corporation girls’ higher secondary school at Karungal Palayam in Erode city has bagged ISO certification for the quality of food and hygiene at the facility.

Till 2018, it was like any other noon meal kitchen in a government school. But the school headmistress, T D Mala, who took charge four years ago, realized it was essential to transform the kitchen to change the perception among the parents about the government schools.

The kitchen, which was equipped with a wood stove, was dark and it was painted black. The first thing she did was to white wash the walls with the help of the city corporation.

“I approached the noon meal personal assistant to collector and managed to get an LPG connection. On seeing the transformation of the kitchen, officials suggested us to apply for ISO certification and offered all support,” she said.

However, obtaining the ISO certification wasn’t easy. “It was on our fourth attempt that we received the certification,” Mala, who received negative remarks when the ISO team came for inspection for the first time, said.

She said they had provided aprons and head caps to noon meal organizer and cook, set up an RO water system to prepare food with hygienic water, installed CCTV cameras to monitor cooking and appointed two parents to check the (cooking) process. “A teacher will always check the quality of food before serving the same to students.”

The school has also set up an organic garden to grow vegetables for the noon meal and a dining area with tables for the children to sit and eat.

Mala said the noon meal kitchen had, among other things, helped them increase the student strength over the years. “The school has a strength of more than 1,000 students and the number is increasing.”