At 12:35 pm on September 8, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha (Thanh Oai commune, Hanoi) hurriedly drove from home to Kim Bai Elementary School after receiving the news that it was almost early afternoon but her child and many other students had not yet had lunch for semi-boarding.
When Ms. Ha arrived, many parents were present in the schoolyard to follow the incident.
My child finished school at 10:30 am but it was almost 1 pm, and the meal had not arrived yet. I couldn't wait any longer, so I had to pick up my child to cook for him" - Ms. Ha said.
According to parents' sharing, it was not until after 1 pm that the food truck arrived at the school.
Some children have enough portions including rice and food, but some children only have food to eat first, and rice has to wait. Later, when people brought rice, the children could not eat anymore because they had eaten all the food before" - Ms. Ha shared.
Also according to Ms. Ha, in addition to the issue of children eating too late, the diet of students in the commune is also assessed by many parents as too weak compared to schools in some neighboring communes.
It's the same 40,000 VND meal (supported with 28,000 VND, parents pay an additional 12,000 VND), but why is the rations of students in Thanh Oai commune so modest?" - the parent said.
The situation of late meal delivery also occurred at Thanh Oai Primary School (Kim Thu branch).
Ms. Ngo Thi Thanh, whose child is studying at Thanh Oai Primary School (Kim Thu branch), said that September 7th was the first day her child and many other students ate semi-boarding lunch at school. This year, the school did not directly sign a contract with the meal supplier but it was under the authority of the Commune People's Committee. Food will be processed and cooked in another location and then transferred to the school, instead of cooking directly at the school as last year.
Ms. Thanh said that yesterday noon, some parents came to the school to check and discovered that it was 11 am but there was still no food. 30 minutes later, when the food was transported, the parents left.
According to her reflection, by noon today, food delivery was even later than yesterday, causing many parents to be very upset.
Exactly at 11:55 am, food is transported to school. Children eat breakfast from 6 am - 6:30 am at home, but they only have lunch at nearly 12 pm, which is really heartbreaking for every parent" - Ms. Thanh said.
Ms. Thanh said that the issue of quantification has not been mentioned, but the food delivery time must be standard. Because according to her, children cannot fast for too long, in addition, it is also related to lunch break time: "Schools and local authorities must find a solution to completely handle it. At the beginning of the school year, there was a negative issue about semi-boarding meals that made many parents angry.
What did the Principal say?
Talking to Lao Dong newspaper on the afternoon of September 8, Mr. Pham Trung Anh, Principal of Kim Bai Elementary School (Thanh Oai commune) said that there was an incident where students of the school were not allowed to eat lunch until after 1 pm.
The reason is that the food supply unit arrived late. During the waiting time, the school prepared cakes and milk for the children.
According to the Principal, after the incident occurred, Thanh Oai Commune People's Committee organized a working session with the Board of Directors of schools, professional departments, representatives of parents and An Viet Company (the unit providing meals for primary schools in the commune).
At the meeting, An Viet Company admitted that the supply of meals was not guaranteed in terms of time and quality. Therefore, this company proactively requested to terminate the meal supply contract from September 8.
In the immediate future, the school will temporarily suspend semi-boarding meals while waiting for the Commune People's Committee to coordinate with relevant units to select a unit according to the correct procedure.
According to Mr. Pham Trung Anh, the Commune People's Committee will also choose a suitable food processing and cooking location for parents to conveniently monitor and supervise the quality of semi-boarding meals.
The principal of Kim Bai Elementary School said that the exact time the lunch kitchen will reopen has not been determined. The government is urgently looking for a catering unit to serve lunch for the children as soon as possible.
* (Parent names have been changed).
