12 students in ICU after eating mid-day meal at govt school; Parents say food contain rat dropping

Karwar: More than 22 students from the Government Model School in Mundgod taluk fell ill on Saturday after consuming the midday meal, prompting an emergency response from health authorities. The children began complaining of stomach pain and vomiting soon after lunch, according to local reports.

Around 400 students had eaten the meal earlier in the day. Of the 22 children taken to hospital, doctors placed 12 in the ICU for close monitoring. The remaining students were treated and later discharged, medical staff said.

Parents alleged that the food supplied under the Akshara Dasoha scheme is often of substandard quality. They claimed that sacks of rice and other provisions regularly contain dirt, dust and rat droppings, and said they noticed similar contamination in the food served on Saturday. Parents told reporters that school staff did not provide adequate answers when questioned about the issue.

They also said the storage conditions at the school are poor, describing the rooms where supplies are kept as unhygienic. According to them, while the head teacher has the authority to reject low-quality food items, this has not been implemented. They further stated that repeated complaints to officials, including the block education officer, have not led to corrective action.

Parents added that such problems are not limited to this school alone and pointed to similar concerns in government and Urdu schools in Ashraya Nagara and Gudnapur Colony in Haliyala town.