After row, Ahmedabad school makes Malala, Anne Frank books ‘optional’

Following a dispute over a glass fragment found in students' meals at an Ahmedabad private school and the teaching of non-curriculum books, including those by Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank, the institution has designated the books as "optional". The Anand Niketan School in Ahmedabad also dismissed its consultant, Munazza Shums, who was serving as a "curriculum designer and teacher trainer".

Protests erupted outside the school on August 11 after a student discovered a glass piece in his food the previous day. Parents alleged that the school was discriminating against students of a certain faith by compelling them to read books by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank, among others. The District Education Officer (DEO) in Ahmedabad issued a show-cause notice to the school, asking for clarification on the "glass chip" discovered in the food.

The school management responded by clarifying that the literary works of renowned authors, such as Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank, are included in the optional Book Club/Library, meant solely to foster reading and literary appreciation. These books are not part of the school's mandatory curriculum. Anand Niketan School Chairman, Kamal Mangal, wrote to the Gujarat Education Minister stating that they would not invite Munazza Shums for further consultations, dismissing allegations that she was leading the school and had made the Malala Yousafzai and Anne Frank books mandatory.

The school has since discontinued Shums' services, terming the claim of bias towards certain students as "baseless". The school also launched a search for a new principal, suspended the canteen supervisor, and initiated a process to appoint an in-charge principal. Kitchen and food preparation areas were thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, enhanced food-safety and quality checks were implemented, a new canteen contract was awarded, and three additional supervisors were hired.

The canteen service was also made optional, and students who chose to opt-out will receive a refund. On August 11, a Class VIII student claimed he found a glass piece in his meal of ladyfinger, dal, chapati, and rice served at the school. He handed the glass piece to the teachers, expressing concern that he might have ingested some glass fragments.

When parents requested a medical examination of the piece, the school refused, stating that they had misplaced it.