Separate midday meals for Hindu & Muslim kids in Bengal school, ends after 25 years

For 25 years, students in a West Bengal school were made to eat separately based on their religion.

Transcript

00:00This school in West Bengal has 29 Muslim and 43 Hindu students.

00:04But what's concerning is that for the past 25 years,

00:07these children were made to sit separately to eat their midday meals.

00:10Kishori Ganjman Mohanpur Primary School, nearly 150 km from Kolkata,

00:15had maintained two separate kitchens, utensils and even cooks,

00:19one for Hindu students, another for Muslims,

00:21ever since the midday meal scheme began in 2000.

00:24Meals were cooked on the same gas connection,

00:26but served in different classrooms based on religion.

00:29After a public outcry and a probe ordered by the district administration,

00:33the school has finally scrapped the practice.

00:35A joint meeting involving teachers, villagers, panchayat members

00:39and the police led to the decision.

00:41From now on, both cooks will prepare meals together using common utensils.

00:45Students will eat side by side just as they should, following government norms.

00:49A local self-help group will now take charge of cooking duties,

00:52ensuring inclusion, dignity and equality on the school menu.

00:59And that's the case.

01:00You may ashean support group would now be in the middle space.

01:02I'm glad to have a lot of staff members.

01:04I'll look forward to the future because we're not using it here.

01:06I'm glad to stay here.

01:07I know.

01:08I'm glad you guys are using this one.

01:09I'm glad you're using it.

01:10I'm glad you're using it here.

01:11But I'm glad you're using it.

01:13I'm glad you're using it.

01:14I'm glad you're using it.

01:16To do this is the same-time method –

01:19I'm glad you're using it.

01:20And you've got the same info,

01:21you've got the same info for your hand to make me.