Shillong, Nov 26: Fifty-nine students of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) Rymbai in East Jaiñtia Hills have reported being unwell with suspected food poisoning from the school mess since November 22.
This was brought to the fore by the Jaiñtia Students’ Union (JSU) today after its Education Secretary Khynroo Bocheru Mi Pohsnem and members visited the school.
Pohsnem said the unsanitary condition at the school shows that there are lapses on the part of the authorities to maintain cleanliness.
Following the visit, the JSU also met the Medical Officer of the Rymbai Primary Health Centre. “He confirmed the cases point to food poisoning, alongside frequent scabies cases, showing a total failure of hygiene protocols,” Pohsnem said.
Hospital registers confirmed the high number of recent admissions and outpatient treatments for JNV students, he added.
The JSU also contacted the Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety (Jowai), who subsequently instructed the Food Safety Officer (FSO) to conduct an on-spot enquiry.
The kitchen mess was found deplorable and staff were operating without safety gear (masks/aprons, hairnets), while toilets are situated in dangerous proximity to the dining hall, creating cross-contamination risks. The water supply was found to be “hard water” that turns rust-red, rendering it undrinkable even as only two RO machines serve over 200 students.
Pohsnem said the Food Safety Officer labelled the campus facilities “inadequate and unhygienic.”
The JUS has given the school authorities 15 days to improve hygiene standards and water quality at the campus.
The union members also visited the new JNV campus site and said essential internal works including electrical and plumbing remain unfinished.
Pohsnem said the Principal indicated plans to shift students to the new campus within 15 days. He said the JSU objected as the timeline is unrealistic and hazardous and warned against shifting students prematurely into a hazardous construction zone without completed amenities.
