Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The Education Department has strengthened its monitoring system to prevent fraud and irregularities in the number of students recorded for the Mid-Day Meal scheme in government schools. Student attendance will now be recorded at three different levels, and the data will be regularly cross-checked.
To improve transparency under the PM Poshan Scheme, the Directorate of Education has directed schools to record the attendance of students from Classes 1 to 8 in the school attendance register, the PM Poshan app, and the MIS portal. If any discrepancy is found in the attendance figures recorded across these three platforms, the matter will be investigated and accountability will be fixed on the head of the concerned school.
Class Teachers Will Record Daily Attendance
Under the new instructions, class teachers will mark students’ attendance every day. The number of students present in each class will be provided to the Mid-Day Meal in-charge. After obtaining the teachers’ signatures, the in-charge will record the total number of students present in the school register.
The school head will then sign the record. Based on the attendance recorded in the register, the number of students will be updated on the PM Poshan app. Meanwhile, individual attendance for every student will be mandatory on the MIS portal.
Actual Student Numbers Will Be Verified Through All Three Records
Under the new system, attendance for the same day will be available through three separate records. The total number recorded in the school register, attendance entered on the PM Poshan app, and individual student attendance recorded on the MIS portal will all be cross-checked.
The main objective of the process is to ensure that only the actual number of students physically present is recorded for the Mid-Day Meal scheme. If discrepancies are found at any level, departmental officials will examine the relevant records.
Random Inspection of Five Schools Every Day
To monitor the Mid-Day Meal system, Block Education Officers (BEOs) have been instructed to randomly check the records of at least five schools in their respective blocks every day. Copies of the attendance registers of selected schools will be obtained and the recorded attendance will be verified.
Similarly, Deputy District Education Officers (Deputy DEOs) will also select and examine the records of five schools every day. Copies of the registers submitted for verification must carry the signature of the school head.
Digital Review Expected to Help Detect Irregularities
At the departmental level, the attendance recorded daily on the PM Poshan app will also be reviewed regularly. Any mismatch between the data in the school register, the app, and the MIS portal will trigger an investigation.
The new system is expected to make verification of the actual number of students benefiting from the Mid-Day Meal scheme more effective. It is also likely to reduce the scope for manipulation and irregularities caused by recording incorrect attendance figures.
District Coordinator for the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Dinesh Sehrawat, said that the department is continuously taking steps to prevent fraud in the Mid-Day Meal programme and that students’ daily attendance is now being monitored at three different levels.
