Malala Book Row: Gujarat DEO Orders Anand Niketan School to Remove Consultant, Discontinue Catering

Parents' protests at Anand Niketan School in Shilaj, Gujarat, over an alleged piece of glass found in food served to a student have escalated into a wider controversy over books available at the school, prompting the district education authorities to issue several directions to the institution.

District Education Officer (DEO) Rohit Chaudhary said the school has been served a show-cause notice seeking an explanation over the allegations raised by parents. The school has also been directed to remove its visiting consultant and alumna Munazza Shums, appoint a principal immediately and suspend its catering services until it obtains the required food safety certificate.

Munazza Shums is the daughter of school trustee Lamiya Shums.

Parents protest over Malala's autobiography

The controversy took a religious turn after some parents and right-wing activists alleged that students were being compelled to read books associated with other religions.

The books named by the protesters are “I Am Malala”, the autobiography of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, and “The Diary of a Young Girl”, written by Anne Frank.

The protesters gathered outside the school on Tuesday and raised slogans, demanding action over the inclusion of Yousafzai's book.

School trustee Kamal Mangal, however, said the book was not part of the school's curriculum.

“We have a book club in the school. Every classroom has three books always available for students to read,” Mangal said. He added that one of the books was written by Malala Yousafzai and that the school had made it available as part of its reading initiative.

Malala was shot by a Taliban gunman in 2012 after advocating girls' education. She went on to become the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Glass allegedly found in student's food

The protests initially followed an allegation concerning food served at the school. Parent Kosha Shah claimed that a child found a glass-like object in a snack and handed it to a teacher.

Mangal disputed the severity of the incident, saying the child had spat out the object and that subsequent scans showed that he was not in danger.

The DEO has nevertheless directed the school to discontinue its catering services until it obtains a food safety certificate. The school has also been instructed to refund students who had paid for snacks.

Education authorities had earlier issued a notice asking the school to explain why a penalty of Rs 10,000 per student should not be imposed.

School asked to comply with DEO directions

Chaudhary said the school must respond to the allegations raised by parents through the show-cause notice.

The authorities have also directed the institution to appoint a principal and take action against the visiting consultant. School sources said the institution is attempting to comply with the directions, including those concerning the possible removal of the director and catering supervisor.

The dispute has now expanded beyond the food-safety complaint, with the school facing scrutiny over its administration, catering arrangements and the books made available to students.