Bengaluru: In a recent circular to parents from Vidyashilp School, Banashankari, the school management announced it will ban the practice of permitting food delivery through platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato and other apps on campus. Vidyashilp is not the only one. Several schools in the city have banned food delivery apps over the past few years.“What started as a dessert for one student by her mother became a common practice, with us receiving at least 4-5 deliveries daily. This, we felt, was an issue at various levels. Outside food is not nutritious and hygienic, often high in oil, salt and preservatives,” said principal of Vidyashilp School, Poornima Mahesh.“Also, it is not the kind of culture we want to promote in a school. We would want our children to appreciate what their parents do for them and respect homemade food. When a child brings home-cooked food, it is a community and a family that is coming together. In case a parent is unable to cook food, we have requested them to order a healthy food option to their home, pack it in a normal lunch box and send it,” she added.The issue is also about creating disparity between students. “Imagine a child sitting with a humble pulav, when his classmate next to him eats a pizza. It creates unnecessary distractions among students and lead to unwanted peer pressure, where they go back home and pester their parents to order food for them,” said Gayethri Devi, principal, Little Flower Public School.“Since external delivery personnel are not part of the school community, it is important for us to carefully regulate access to the campus for safety concerns. Managing frequent deliveries also creates logistical challenges and can disrupt the smooth functioning of the school day,” said Usha Mahesh Reddy, director principal NPS Hosur Road.“We have security guards. But their whole energy will be channelled into guiding the delivery boys in and sending the parcels to classes. We are running an educational institution. This kind of logistics is not part of what we are supposed to do,” said principal of another school.Interestingly, schools have also banned food ordering with staff too for them to set examples for students.Kalai Selvi, head of school, Vidyashilp Academy, said, “Our in-house kitchen prepares food for 3,000 people including students and staff. This year, they used the ragi we cultivated. And the children who were part of this entire journey understood what it takes to bring that onto the dining table. That orientation also helps us to encourage healthy food practices and setting examples for the younger grades.”
