Education Ministry Bans Fried Foods in Schools and Offices to Promote Healthy Eating

The Ministry of Education has officially banned fried food items in all its canteens, including those in government offices and educational institutions. This decision comes in line with CBSE’s recent circular urging schools to promote healthy eating habits among students. The Ministry has instructed all departments to remove items like samosas, pakoras, chips, and deep-fried snacks from their menus and replace them with nutritious alternatives such as fruits, salads, idlis, and sprouts. The move is aimed at improving the overall lifestyle and health awareness of both students and staff.

I wanted to write about this topic because I feel it’s a big step forward for promoting better eating habits, especially in schools. Many of us have grown up with canteen menus full of oily snacks that are tasty but unhealthy in the long run. Now that lifestyle diseases like obesity, high BP, and diabetes are rising even among school children, it’s high time schools take nutrition seriously. This initiative is not just about banning junk food, it’s about creating awareness and helping young students make healthier choices early in life. As someone who’s seen the impact of poor eating habits first-hand, I strongly feel schools and workplaces must lead by example.

What the Ban Actually Covers

According to the official instructions from the Ministry, the following types of food will no longer be allowed in school or office canteens:

Fried snacks like samosas, kachoris, pakoras, fries, and chips
Deep-fried sweets like jalebis, gulab jamuns, and imartis
Sugary soft drinks and aerated beverages
Packaged snacks high in salt, sugar, and fat
Bakery items made with maida (refined flour), like cream buns and pastries

Instead, the guidelines suggest offering:

Boiled or steamed items like idlis, dhoklas, and upma
Seasonal fruits and fresh-cut salads
Nuts, seeds, and roasted snacks
Coconut water, buttermilk, lemon water, and plain drinking water

Canteens are also encouraged to use whole grains and avoid reheating oil or reusing old cooking oil.

What Triggered This Health Push

This ban is not random. Earlier this year, CBSE sent out a health advisory to all its affiliated schools asking them to stop serving junk food on school premises. The board highlighted how children today are becoming increasingly vulnerable to non-communicable diseases at a young age due to poor eating habits. It also mentioned the importance of integrating health education with daily school life, which includes what students eat in canteens.

The Ministry of Education has now extended this concept to all its institutions and offices, which means the health focus is not just for students but also for the people who run the system.

What It Means for Students and Staff

From what I’ve seen, children often pick up food habits from what’s easily available around them. If the school canteen sells only samosas and chips, students will end up buying those—even if they have a healthy lunchbox. But when the menu changes and only healthy options are available, students slowly adjust and try new things. That’s exactly what this move is trying to achieve.

Even for office staff and teachers, this ban could lead to more mindful eating. Teachers influence children, so when they choose a fruit plate over a fried snack, it sets an example for students. It also helps improve overall productivity and energy levels throughout the day.

How Schools and Offices Can Implement This

It won’t be easy for every institution to switch overnight, but here are some practical steps that can help:

Audit the current canteen menu and remove all banned items
Train canteen staff to prepare healthy, low-oil snacks
Involve parents and send reminders about healthy tiffins
Put up posters or info charts about balanced diets and nutrition
Organise monthly nutrition talks or interactive sessions
Offer subsidised prices for healthy items to encourage more people to buy them

Not Just a Ban—It’s About Long-Term Behaviour Change

Let’s be honest—most of us enjoy a samosa or pakora once in a while. So this move is not saying “never eat fried food again.” It’s about reducing daily exposure to unhealthy food, especially in school environments where children are still forming their habits. The idea is to build a culture of moderation and awareness.

CBSE Rolls Out Career Guidance and Counselling Initiatives for New Academic Year

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a new set of career guidance and counselling programmes for students in the 2025–26 academic session. This move is aimed at helping students from Classes 9 to 12 make informed decisions about their future career paths. The board will provide structured support through online and offline sessions, handbooks, teacher training, and dedicated helplines. These initiatives will be carried out across all CBSE-affiliated schools and will involve career experts, trained counsellors, and school teachers.

I felt it was important to write about this topic because career confusion is something I’ve seen among many students, especially after Class 10. With so many course options and competitive pressure, a lot of students end up choosing a stream without proper guidance. CBSE’s efforts to offer structured counselling from school level is definitely a step in the right direction. It’s not just about marks anymore—students need guidance on interests, skill-building, mental health, and future possibilities. By spreading awareness about this initiative, I hope students, parents, and teachers take advantage of it and understand its long-term impact on academic and personal development.

What the CBSE Career Guidance Programme Includes

CBSE’s latest initiative covers four major areas:

Career awareness workshops and sessions for students from Classes 9 to 12
Training programmes for teachers and counsellors to guide students better
Distribution of counselling handbooks for students, teachers, and parents
24×7 online and tele-counselling support, especially during exam stress and result time

The goal is to support students not only in choosing a career but also in managing academic pressure, emotional challenges, and building confidence.

Digital and Offline Support

CBSE is using both online platforms and physical sessions in schools. The board has partnered with multiple organisations and career experts who will help conduct webinars and interactive career guidance sessions. Some of the key focus areas include:

Understanding career options in science, commerce, humanities, arts, sports, and vocational sectors
Building awareness about new fields like AI, coding, digital marketing, data analysis, design, and entrepreneurship
Providing students with assessment tools to identify their interests and strengths
Creating awareness around entrance exams, scholarships, and application timelines

For students who don’t have internet access, schools will conduct group counselling sessions with help from trained teachers.

Involvement of Teachers and Parents

The initiative is not just student-focused. CBSE is also training school teachers to act as first-level counsellors. These teachers will be given modules and guides to handle common student queries. Apart from that, handbooks will be shared with parents to help them understand how to support their children through career decisions.

CBSE believes that career planning is not a one-time event but a process. That’s why the counselling initiative will be carried out in stages throughout the academic year, not just around board exams.

How This Will Help Students

For students in Classes 9 and 10, this programme will help them decide which stream to take—Science, Commerce, or Humanities—based on interest and aptitude. For senior students in Classes 11 and 12, the programme will focus more on entrance exams, professional courses, and building resumes for college applications.

It will also help students:

Learn how to manage stress and exam anxiety
Identify the right career fields based on their personality and abilities
Get access to expert advice without needing to go to private counsellors
Stay informed about changing job markets and future career trends

Why This Matters

I’ve spoken to several students who said they felt lost when it came to choosing subjects or applying to colleges. Not everyone can afford personal counselling or coaching. So when CBSE brings this kind of initiative directly into schools, it becomes accessible to everyone. This is especially important for students in smaller towns who may not be exposed to newer career fields or expert guidance otherwise.

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