Support for boarding meals, parents reduce 'rights' to supervise?

Hanoi has decided to spend more than VND3,000 billion to support lunch for primary school students at public and private schools. Although parents are very happy, they also want the quality of the meals to be guaranteed, and not to let down supervision because of the support.

Fear of reducing "rights" to supervise

With a support level of 20,000 VND/day under the new policy, each student will receive support of millions of VND per school year (9 months). Many parents, whether in the inner city or the suburbs, believe that this support is very valuable, helping to significantly reduce the financial burden, as well as giving them peace of mind so that their children can stay for lunch, rest and study at school.

Many parents worry about losing supervision when the city supports school meals

PHOTO: THU HANG

According to regulations, the portion of meals that exceeds the State subsidy will be paid by parents. However, all meals must still ensure a minimum of 30,000 VND/day/student.

Ms. ML, whose child attends a primary school in Thanh Cong Ward, said that in the past, parent representatives were allowed to give opinions and supervise the organization of meals for their children. However, after receiving support, Ms. ML wondered whether parents still had the right to supervise or whether it was the schools' full authority.

"We are happy to receive support, but we are also worried because free meals are not of high quality," said this parent, citing several recent shocking incidents in which boarding meals for students in mountainous areas were "cut" too much.

That is also the sentiment of many parents, who want the process of selecting meal providers to be made public, transparent, and actually inspected and evaluated by authorities to ensure the quality of students' meals.

In schools, the preparation for implementing this policy has gone through the step of receiving registration from parents. Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Principal of Vinh Tuy Primary School (Vinh Tuy Ward), said that through the homeroom teacher, the school has distributed registration forms for boarding meals to all students from grades 1 to 5. Currently, more than 1,500/1,600 students have registered to participate in boarding, an increase of more than 100 students compared to the previous school year.

According to Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, to meet the demand, the school is upgrading the kitchen, adding tables and chairs, renovating the dining room and enhancing equipment for serving student lunches with the highest goal of ensuring absolute hygiene and safety in every meal.

In suburban schools, the number of students participating in boarding meals this school year is expected to increase significantly. The leader of Thach Hoa A Primary School said that the school currently organizes boarding meals, but only 120/626 students have meals at school.

The main reason is that parents in rural areas can afford to take their children home for lunch, saving some money. In addition, the school also lacks a kitchen and service staff.

If supported, sending money to parents is a simple way, but using that money to organize 100% boarding, the school's facilities also need to be invested in to meet standards.

Ms. Dau Thi Thanh Hoan, Principal of Dong Thap Primary School (Dan Phuong Commune), shared: Last school year, only about 300/800 students of the school participated in the boarding program, mainly due to concerns about costs. This year, the number of students registering to participate in the boarding program is increasing sharply.

In the private school sector, each school plans to do things differently. Some schools deduct the boarding fee that students have to pay, while others return the support to parents. The principal of a private school with many levels of education said that the city's support is expected to be sent to each student by the school, while the organization and boarding fee collection will still be implemented as from the time students enter the school.

According to this principal, the city's support policy for private school students is very valuable, but to be transparent and clear about the support and the parents' contributions, when the city allocates the support level per student, the school will immediately send the entire amount to each parent. The organization of boarding meals is still carried out according to the principles agreed with parents before enrollment.

"Don't let schools act on their own"

At the conference to deploy tasks for the 2025-2026 school year organized by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training recently, Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, affirmed that the budget expenditure of more than 3,000 billion VND for boarding meals for students is a very large but necessary number with a very humane policy.

"The City People's Committee has organized training, but through public opinion, we see that there are still issues that need to be discussed," Mr. Phong said and suggested that the Party Committees and authorities of communes and wards must take primary responsibility for this and not loosen management. The City People's Committee and People's Council need to strengthen inspection and supervision of implementation.

"Do not let schools act on their own. Absolutely do not allow negativity or group interests to arise in a very humane policy like this," Mr. Phong noted.

The leader of the Hanoi Party Committee also advised schools: "Don't let such a humane policy be distorted, it will be very disreputable. Teachers, we all have children. Just as we take care of our children's meals and sleep, we should take care of our students in the same way."

Teacher Nguyen Tung Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology, commented: The policy of supporting boarding meals not only has economic significance, but also contributes to creating a more equitable educational environment. When all students receive a nutritious lunch, regardless of economic conditions, they will study better and develop more comprehensively.

Mr. Nguyen Tung Lam also emphasized that food safety is the key factor. Accordingly, school kitchens must be arranged in one direction, trays and spoons must be dried, and ingredients must have clear origins.

At the same time, parents are still ensured to be inspected regularly and suddenly by the authorities to avoid violations. Avoid the situation where parents are reduced the right to supervise their children's meals at school because they are supported with lunch money.

The Hanoi People's Council has passed Resolution No. 18/2025/NQ-HDND regulating the mechanism for supporting boarding meals for primary school students in the city for the 2025-2026 school year.

Accordingly, the total estimated budget of more than 3,000 billion VND will be used to support about 768,000 primary school students at public and private schools, excluding schools with foreign investment.

The support level is divided into 2 groups. Group 1 includes students studying in 23 mountainous communes and the Red River delta area, receiving support of 30,000 VND/day. Group 2 includes the remaining students in the whole city, receiving support of 20,000 VND/day.

The maximum support period is 9 months of actual study per year, equivalent to approximately 180 meal days/school year.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ho-tro-bua-an-ban-tru-phu-huynh-giam-quyen-giam-sat-18525082820032297.htm