At least 36 girl students were hospitalised after falling ill on Tuesday afternoon following the mid-day meal at the Middle School in Parasi under Noorsarai police station in Nalanda district, district health and education officials said.
What happened
Students had assembled for the regular mid-day meal when several complained that the food tasted different. Some pupils who had already eaten soon began feeling dizzy and started vomiting. School staff provided immediate first aid and then arranged for the affected children to be shifted to Biharsharif Sadar Hospital for further treatment, officials said.
Principal Shailendra Kumar Singh said the mid-day meal — soybean rice on the day’s menu — was supplied by an NGO "as per the prescribed menu". Local residents and school staff alleged that the container of salt and a container of detergent powder were kept next to each other in the kitchen and the cook mistakenly added detergent to the meal instead of salt.
"The mid-day meal, comprising soybean rice, was supplied by an NGO as per the prescribed menu," Principal Shailendra Kumar Singh said.
Medical response and condition of children
Civil Surgeon Dr Jay Prakash Singh visited the hospital to assess the situation. He confirmed the children were taken to the Sadar Hospital and said all the students were stable and out of danger, according to hospital records and official statements.
Bihar Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar also visited the hospital and met the affected students. He held discussions with medical staff and said a detailed inquiry would be conducted to determine how the lapse occurred in the preparation and serving of the meal.
Immediate actions announced
Authorities said they had begun preliminary measures to investigate the incident. The local education department and health officials coordinated the transfer and treatment of the pupils, and are expected to detail the findings of the inquiry after speaking with school staff and the NGO supplying the food.
- Number of students affected: 36 (girls)
- Location: Middle School, Parasi, Noorsarai police station area, Nalanda district
- Hospital: Biharsharif Sadar Hospital
- Meal: Soybean rice supplied by an NGO
Context and concerns
The mid-day meal scheme is a central and state-supported programme aimed at improving nutrition and school attendance. Incidents of food contamination raise immediate concerns about procurement, storage, food-handling practices and the systems of oversight that govern meals in government-run schools. Keeping cooking ingredients and cleaning agents physically separated and labelled is basic food-safety practice that must be enforced where children are fed.
Local residents said the containers for salt and detergent had apparently been kept in the same place in the school kitchen. If confirmed, such lapses would point to procedural failures at the level of kitchen management and supervision of outsourced meal supplies.
What officials will examine
The expected inquiry is likely to examine:
- Storage and labelling practices in the school kitchen;
- Whether the NGO followed contractual and food-safety norms in food preparation and delivery;
- Staff training and supervision of cooks and helpers handling the mid-day meal;
- Medical records documenting symptoms, treatment and any follow-up required for the children.
Practical information for parents and schools
Parents of children in government schools should seek information from local education authorities if any adverse incident occurs and insist on seeing records of food audits where available. Schools should maintain separate, clearly labelled storage for edible items and cleaning materials, keep a log of meal deliveries, and ensure cooks and helpers have basic training in food safety and hygiene.
District officials have not yet issued a full report on the inquiry. The hospital confirmed no fatalities and said medical staff would continue to monitor the children for any delayed symptoms, especially gastrointestinal irritation or allergic reactions.
This incident adds to ongoing discussions in the state over the monitoring of mid-day meal providers and the need for stricter controls to prevent food-safety lapses that endanger schoolchildren.
