Burden beyond academics: Social Welfare students to shoulder hostel mess admin responsibilities

The Society has handed over the responsibility of managing the mess operations, ensuring kitchen hygiene, and monitoring food quality on to its school and junior college students

Hyderabad: Already burdened by the academic pressure and stress, Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS) students will now shoulder the hostel mess administration responsibilities as the institutions resume for the academic year.

The Society has handed over the responsibility of managing the mess operations, ensuring kitchen hygiene, and monitoring food quality on to its school and junior college students.

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As the academic year begins for schools on June 12, Classes VIII to XI students will have to perform duties such as delivering provisions/perishable food items from storage to kitchen, check quality and quantity, supervise cooking and maintain hygiene in kitchen and dining areas.

These responsibilities are actually performed by caretakers and assistant caretakers in the hostels. However, the Society has silently offloaded these on to the students, raising concerns about safety and welfare of the minors in the institutions.

The Society on Friday directed its principals to constitute the diet committee with students from Classes VIII, IX, X and XI who will be forced to juggle between their academics and role as diet managers, mess monitors, hygiene monitors and mess leaders.

As per the job chart, selected students (mess monitors) have to be in the kitchen at 5 am to monitor breakfast preparation and later the lunch preparation at 9 am. Their work is also cut out for snacks and dinner, as they have to present in the kitchen at 3 pm and 4 pm respectively. The cooking, as per the Society, will commence only in the presence of students who will be monitored by a teacher.

The Class X students, who will be facing the crucial Board exams, will be turned into diet managers whose job is to deliver provisions or perishable items from storage to kitchen twice a day i.e. 1.30 pm for snacks and dinner, and 5 pm for next day breakfast and lunch. These minors also have to check the quality and quantity of food items, ensuring there is no foul smell, insects, rotten items or any abnormality.

They are also responsible for maintaining the storage, placement of indents and distribution of provisions and their work will be monitored by two diet-in charge teachers.

Further, select intermediate first year students are tasked with monitoring the cleaning of the kitchen, dining and hand wash area besides supervising wastage disposal. This hygiene monitoring team will be monitored by a health-supervisor.

This initiative did not go down well with some teachers who said it would affect students’ academics. While there were four welfare societies with a common diet plan and timing, why such rules are being imposed on social welfare students, teachers said and demanded the government’s intervention.

Meanwhile, TGSWREIS Secretary Dr. VS Alagu Varshini said the initiative of a mess being managed by students would not disturb their academics but would be a learning experience for them.

All students would be involved in the mess management with 33 candidates for each month, she said, adding that students would check quality and quantity besides supervise cleanliness in the kitchen area. Principals and vice principals would assist students, she added.

Diet Managers

*Batch 1: 1.30 pm to 2 pm (Issue provisions for snacks and dinner for same day)

*Batch 2: 5 pm to 6 pm (Issue provisions for next day breakfast and lunch)

Mess Monitors

*Batch 1: 5 am to 6 am

*Batch 2: 9 am to 10 am

*Batch 3: 3 pm to 4 pm

*Batch 4: 4 pm to 5 pm

Hygiene monitor

*Batch 1: 8.30 am to 9.30 am

*Batch 2: 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm

*Batch 3: 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm