Teachers affiliated with the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Sena (MRSS), a state-level organisation that represents educators on professional, academic and service-related issues, gathered outside the education officer's office in Jogeshwari on Wednesday to oppose a proposed policy shift that would make school principals directly responsible for the mid-day meal programme. The protest marked the union's formal pushback against what it described as an expanding scope of administrative accountability being placed on school heads.
The mid-day meal scheme, a long-running government initiative aimed at improving attendance and nutrition among schoolchildren, has traditionally been overseen by a combination of dedicated meal coordinators, local management committees and school administrations. According to the MRSS, the proposed move under consideration would concentrate liability for the programme's execution — including food quality, hygiene, quantity and timely service — on principals alone, effectively turning school heads into the default accountable authority for any lapses.
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Protesters argued that principals are already stretched thin managing academic schedules, staff administration, regulatory compliance and parent interactions, and that adding ownership of an entire nutrition programme would dilute their core instructional mandate. The union also raised concerns about the legal and disciplinary exposure that principals could face in the event of reported incidents, warning that the responsibility was being transferred without corresponding training, staffing support or protective mechanisms.
The MRSS, which works specifically on the professional, academic and service-related grievances of educators in Maharashtra, used the demonstration to demand that the education department clarify the proposed policy in writing and consult teacher representatives before any notification is issued. The organisation said it would escalate its opposition if the government proceeded with the plan without addressing the structural and accountability concerns raised by frontline educators.
