Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jul 4: In a well-intentioned move to combat malnutrition among schoolchildren, the government has been supplying eggs to students of government schools six days a week. However, what was meant to be a nutritional supplement has now turned into a financial burden for teachers, who are forced to manage logistics without sufficient funds.

The government currently provides Rs 6 per student per day for egg distribution in schools. Of this, Rs 5 is allocated for the purchase of the egg, while the remaining Rs 1 is divided between gas used for boiling the egg (Rs 0.50), payment to the person removing the eggshell (Rs 0.30), and transport costs (Rs 0.20).

While some schools manage to buy eggs in bulk, many, particularly in rural areas, purchase them from local vendors at retail rates. With egg prices now increasing almost daily, teachers are left struggling. In some areas, eggs cost Rs 6.50 to Rs 7 each—higher than the government’s sanctioned amount—resulting in a daily additional expense of Rs 1.50 per student.

With gas prices also on the rise, the cost of preparing the eggs has further increased. Adding to the issue, kitchen staff in some schools have not been paid for their work in peeling eggs.

A headmistress from a government school in Mangaluru said, “We have 240 students who consume eggs. With an excess of Rs 1.30 spent per student per day, we incur Rs 312 in additional expenses daily. That amounts to Rs 7,800 per month. Who is going to bear this cost? Teachers and head-teachers are forced to pay from their own pockets.” She adds that this situation is common in most schools.

Officials from the education department have instructed schools to update their egg procurement details daily, assuring that the government will consider the data in due course. However, the promised reimbursement has yet to materialize. Teachers complain that while officials regularly visit schools to ensure eggs are being served, they remain silent when questioned about reimbursement.

Previously, schools were also given ‘chikki’ (peanut-jaggery bars), which allowed some budgetary flexibility. The chikki provision helped teachers save a rupee per student, which was used to offset egg-related costs. Since the chikki distribution was stopped this year, teachers are finding it difficult to manage the egg program with the current budget.

Currently, students from class 1 to 10 receive eggs six days a week—two days funded by the government and four by the Azim Premji Foundation. Both entities allocate only Rs 6 per egg, which falls short amid rising prices. Adding to the woes, schools sometimes receive broken or spoiled eggs during transportation, further escalating losses.

“Government data shows that around 65% of students consume eggs, while 35% opt for bananas instead. Still, the combined per-unit cost for both options should not exceed Rs 6, according to government calculations. But schools are consistently reporting difficulties in maintaining this budget due to market fluctuations,” said Jnanesh, assistant director, Akshara Dasoha, zilla panchayat.