Belagavi Urdu school students given dates, bananas instead of midday meals

For the month of Ramadan, Urdu school students are given dates and bananas. Order issued by ZP, CEO, to follow the same in case of all students who fast for Ramadan. Students take the dates and bananas home to break the fast in the evening.

In view of religious fasting during Ramadan, the Belgaum district Urdu school students are given dates and bananas, instead of their usual midday meals. All Urdu schools in Belgaum and Chikkodi are given dates and bananas for one month during Ramadan.

This decision was taken as, during the month of Ramadan, almost all students of Urdu schools fast and the midday meal goes wasted. The Education Department decided to instead give the students dates and bananas.

The fasting students take them home to break the fast in the evening. The schools have reopened recently and the attendance is not dense. In the next couple of days the attendance is going to improve. All Urdu schools will be covered under this scheme.

The Guru Shantheshwara Samsthana Hire Mutt, an NGO in Hukkeri, has been given the task of providing midday meals to all schools in the district. It has been instructed to supply dates and bananas to all Urdu schools for a month during Ramadan. Taking a cue from this other NGOs are also following the same system.

R Ramachandran, the ZP CEO of Belgaum district, has issued orders to DDPI to provide dates and bananas to all Urdu schools in Belgaum and Chikkodi during Ramadan. The order also states that the equivalent of amount spent of midday meal is to be used up to purchase dates and bananas. The officials at the Education Department have also issued similar orders to all head masters of all schools, where students are undertaking religious fast.

It is an existing practice Gajanaja Mannikeri, DDPI, Chikkodi has said that it is an existing practice in the district to provide dates and bananas to students at Urdu schools during Ramadan.