“Strictly handle violations, no avoidance, no cover-up, no coping” – that is the direction of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province in the document requesting clarification of information about the food rations of teachers at a kindergarten in Chau Duc district being accused of being of “poor quality”.
Previously, on a social networking site, a photo of a 30,000 VND meal for teachers and staff of Anh Duong Kindergarten (Chau Duc district) appeared, consisting of only rice and two pieces of ham, with a little fish sauce. Some other photos showed a tray of rice with only a few pieces of stir-fried meat and bamboo shoots. The incident is said to have been going on for several months.
First of all, we should welcome the quick intervention and the spirit of handling the situation without avoidance, cover-up, or coping of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.
Because the "poor quality" meals with signs of undercutting by preschool teachers are not only an economic issue but also an ethical issue, damaging the spirit of those who are dedicating themselves to the education career as well as the reputation of the industry.
In fact, the problem of "poor quality" or cut-down food rations is not new, occurring quite commonly in many fields, including high-performance sports.
However, in the field of education, the fact that meals for students, especially preschool teachers, are of "poor quality" or are cut back has created a wave of public outrage.
These are groups of people who are already disadvantaged. They not only face daily work pressure, low income, stressful working environments, but also sometimes unreasonable demands from their parents.
They do not have as strong a voice as other labor groups, and when they encounter injustice related to food rations, although they are very upset, they do not dare to denounce for fear of being persecuted or losing their jobs - as reflected in Lao Dong newspaper.
A question that needs to be answered by the authorities of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is: Even if the meals of teachers and staff are of "poor quality" and show signs of being cut, are the meals of students here guaranteed?
And is the incident at Anh Duong just an isolated case, or is it the common situation of many other kindergartens in the area?
In the directive document, the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province requested the Department of Education and Training to preside over, thoroughly grasp and comprehensively rectify the quality of boarding meals for both students and teachers in the area.
The decisive intervention of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau provincial government in the case of Anh Duong Kindergarten is very necessary. However, comprehensive rectification and the establishment of an effective monitoring system to prevent similar acts are much more important!
