Onions eat up schools' funds

Hostel mess, school canteens and catering institutes, unwilling to compromiseu00a0on food quality, say they are bearing the cost of onions out of their reserves

Onion prices, tearing a hole in the pocket of city households as they crested at Rs 100 a kg yesterday, are interfering with the resources of educational institutes as well.

School canteens, hostel messes, and catering institutes feel their kitties getting lighter in bearing the bulb's weight.


Raj Aloni, Principal of Ramsheth Thakur Public School, Khargar

While some are ruling onion dishes out of their menu, others that do not want to compromise on the quality of the food they serve, are enduring losses.

The most afflicted with the prices are catering institutes. Some are even considering increasing the fee they charge starting next academic year, if the prices do not deflate.

AD Naik, bursar, Hansraj Morarji Public School and Junior College Campus, said, "In the middle of the year, we can't make changes in our mess.

Neither can we ask parents to pay more. Our menu is the same as earlier, but our institute is bearing the loss because of the price hike in vegetables."

Being in the middle of the academic year, institutes like Morarji believe it would be wrong to ask for more money from parents of students who have already joined the hostel mess or are studying to be caterers or culinary experts.

One of the catering institutions said it might consider revising fees the coming academic session if the scenario remains unchanged.


Students of Hansraj Morarji Public School at lunch in the school canteen

Harish Suvarna, principal, Anjuman-I-Islam's College of Hotel and Tourism Management Studies and Research, said, "We make food for 830 students and 30 staff members. My students use 100 kg of onions in each practical class.
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I can't afford to ask them to use less of onions in curry, as they may pick up the habit and learn the preparation wrongly.
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So our institute is bearing the loss. Looking at the scenario, we will decided if we need to think of hiking our fees next year."

An official from a catering institute in Kurla said, "Though it's a serious matter, we can't compromise on quality. It's true that institutes will have to suffer the loss.

We hope the government comes up with a solution soon."

Raj Aloni, principal of Ramsheth Thakur Public School, Khargar, said, "Since the time onion prices have gone up, dishes are being prepared without onions."u00a0