Ahmedabad: Anand Niketan School at Shilaj has come under scrutiny following complaints from parents that a piece of glass was found in a snack served to a student. Parents and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) representatives protested at the school, while a complaint was also submitted to AMC’s health and food safety department.Kosha Shah, a parent, alleged that a child found a glass-like object in the snack and handed it to a teacher. She claimed the incident required medical attention.The district education officer (DEO) has directed the school to initiate action against those responsible and file a police complaint if negligence is established. The school has also been asked to explain the incident. The DEO has warned that strict action may follow if the school fails to provide a satisfactory response.School trustee Kamal Mangal said that he heard about the complaint regarding a piece of glass found in the snack and a student swallowing it. “In fact, he had spat it out. Scans showed he was not in danger,” he said.Parents and VHP representatives also alleged that students were being pressured to read a book related to another religion. They further claimed that the school’s morning prayer had allegedly been discontinued for more than a month. Following these complaints, the education department has issued a notice to the school and ordered an investigation by an education inspector.Ahmedabad City DEO Rohit Chaudhary said complaints had been received about the discontinuation of morning prayers and the alleged instruction to students to read a book associated with another religion. According to him, schools have already been directed to ensure that the religious sentiments of students and parents are not hurt. Any unlawful direction, if established, would invite action, he said.The school has been issued a notice to offer an explanation within a day. The notice also asks why a penalty of Rs 10,000 per student should not be imposed on the school if violations are established.On the allegedly controversial reading material, the trustee said, “The school has a book club. Every classroom has three books always available for students to read. One of these books was by the Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai. The student outfit has apparently objected to this. The writer is a famous education activist and the book is not part of any curriculum.”However, the education department officials held a meeting with parents and VHP representatives at the school. Further action will depend on the findings of the official investigation.
