Pioneer News Service
Daltonganj
“Daal patli hai” (The lentil is watery) observed the DC Palamu Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat who is the designated chairman of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Awasiya Vidyalayas here in the Palamu district, during his impromptu visit to the Sadar KGBAV in Daltonganj late Saturday July 18.
A photograph released by the district public relation office here showed him sitting on the knees and with a ladle he checked the cooked lentil saying to his district education officer (DEO) Sandip Kumar, standing nearby “Daal patli hai”.
Sources said the DEO was not expecting such an observation and when it came, he knew how to go about it. DEO Kumar said “As soon as the DC found the cooked lentil watery and poor in quality, the Warden (not principal, KGBAV has only Warden, plz) was directed on the spot to improve the quality of food being served to the girls studying here.”
Sources said the visit of the designated chairman of KGBAV in the district has put on alert other 11 KGBAVs in the district not to undermine the quality of food.
Palamu district has a total of 12 KGBAVs. The common ailment of the KGBAV in Jharkhand as well as in Palamu is a ‘lesser occupancy’ of the girls in these residential schools said sources in the education department.
The day Shekhawat made a visit to this school Saturday, there were just 319 girls residing in this residential school as against the admitted strength of 479 girls here said a personnel in the education office here. Thus a huge 160 admitted girls in this school were found absent and their absenteeism is not of a day or two but of weeks said sources.
It’s a hard fact that average absenteeism of KGBAV is more than 30 percent said an official in the district administration. “Under orders of the DC each Warden of 12 KGBAVs here has been instructed to ensure classes are held properly and girl inmates of these residential schools get nice time to live in and study in safe and secured environs” added the DEO.
