Bhayandar: A week after Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation’s (MBMC) education department issued a show-cause notice to Tapovan Vidyalaya following a complaint by MNS that it had fined a student for bringing fenugreek (methi) vegetable in his lunchbox, the Bhayander school claimed that the Rs 50 charged to the student was not a penalty, but the cost of an alternative food item provided from its canteen.
In its response, the school said it is a Jain religious minority institution and has a food discipline based on Jain educational and institutional values. The school said that if a student brings food that is against its food policy, an appropriate alternative item is provided from the canteen on that day and its applicable cost is charged. “It is not a penal amount, but the cost of the food item provided,” the school said.
On the MBMC notice’s charge that imposing dietary restrictions amounts to a violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, students’ rights and state govt rules, the school stated that its food discipline and food safety regulations are separate matters and that there was no violation of the RTE Act.
Meanwhile, the Minority Commission has sought a report from Navghar police, who have recorded statements of the school management.
