On August 30, Mr. Vo Hoan Hai - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Khanh Hoa province confirmed that he would temporarily stop introducing STARGATE Group to primary schools in Nha Trang to sign contracts to cook meals for boarding students.
After the suspension, the Department of Education and Training of Khanh Hoa province will review the process and soon issue detailed instructions for principals to be proactive in choosing a unit to provide meals for boarding schools in the 2025-2026 school year.
At the beginning of the new school year, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Khanh Hoa province Vo Hoan Hai sent an official dispatch to the People's Committee of Nha Trang city to coordinate and direct the implementation of cooperation in building a convenient kitchen system in primary schools with STARGATE Group.
The implementation of this plan has not received consensus from parents and representatives of primary schools in Nha Trang.
Public opinion believes that the document of the Department of Education and Training introducing only one unit to participate in the boarding kitchen is imposing. Parents do not have any more options to compare and evaluate.
Meanwhile, the school canteens have been in operation for many years, students are used to the old taste and there is no need to change.
Regarding this, Mr. Vo Hoan Hai said that recently, the Department has notified capable businesses to submit applications to participate in cooking meals for boarding schools in the area. The Department hopes that many businesses will register to submit applications so that there will be more choices.
However, only STARGATE Group submitted an application to be introduced to the semi-boarding cooking schools. And in fact, except for Nha Trang City, other localities in Khanh Hoa province have signed contracts with this enterprise.
Mr. Vo Hoan Hai affirmed that the Department does not exclusively introduce STARGATE Group, there are no group interests or personal interests in this matter.
The ultimate goal of the Department in introducing is to create professionalization in the management of boarding kitchens and food safety and hygiene. The important thing is to let teachers focus on teaching, the boarding part will follow a professional management model.
However, in response to the legitimate concerns and aspirations of parents, students and school principals in Nha Trang City, the leaders of the Department of Education and Training of Khanh Hoa Province said they would temporarily suspend the introduction to develop a detailed plan with a roadmap for managing boarding school meals.
Each school chooses its own model.
For many years, primary schools in Khanh Hoa province in general and in Nha Trang in particular have decided on their own to choose a cooking unit for boarding students.
Some schools choose local cooks, while others sign contracts with businesses specializing in cooking school meals. In Nha Trang alone, LARI Vietnam Joint Stock Company has proactively worked with a number of primary schools to sign contracts for boarding meals.
The fact that LARI Vietnam Joint Stock Company has signed contracts with schools has been done for a long time and is highly appreciated by some schools. However, Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training have not received any notice from LARI Vietnam Joint Stock Company signing cooking contracts with schools.
