More than 180 schools across five states are allowing caste or gender based discrimination over the last two years while serving the midday meal (MDM), says a status report of discrimination in schools.

Reports, submitted by 41 independent monitoring institutes (MI) to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, highlights instances of discrimination and untouchability in 186 schools across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Reports have revealed regular segregation of children from SC/ST category from other children. It says they are made to sit and eat separately; food cooked by SC/ST cooks is often refused by many children or their parents. And there are cases where Dalit students are served from a distance, and several students bring their own plates for fear of utensils being touched by Dalit classmates. Also, there have been instances where only girls are being made to serve meals in some schools.

The parliamentary committee on welfare of SC/STs dealing specifically with prevention of untouchability in the implementation of the MDM programme has sought a report from the HRD ministry on this.

The reports have been received from the monitoring institutes between October 2010 and September 2012. Professional monitoring institutes are engaged by the government under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to monitor the implementation of programmes under SSA, MDM and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya. The ministry has sent central teams to schools in MP, Rajasthan, Orissa and UP to verify reports of discrimination. The central team has verified a single case of caste discrimination — in a school in Amthapada in Orissa’s Boudh district. Following which the ministry wrote to the state government and the teacher concerned was suspended.