Parents concerned about students bringing their own lunch after dirty food incident in kitchen

Many parents said they let their children stay home from school to express their dissatisfaction, because after the incident of unsafe food being brought into the kitchen on October 15, the school has yet to have a clear solution.

After the incident, Cu Khe Primary School terminated the contract with Nhat Anh Import Export Trading and Service Company Limited - the food supplier; at the same time, it announced to temporarily stop organizing boarding for students on October 17 and is expected to start serving boarding activities from October 20.

However, on October 19, the school issued a notice to adjust the boarding plan for students.

According to the school, during the time of completing the bidding process, parents can choose one of two options: Either prepare lunch for their children in the morning and bring it to school; or pick up their children to have lunch, rest from 10:30 and bring them back to school at 13:30 for the afternoon class.

Many parents disagree with both options because they are concerned that it will affect their children's health and cause inconvenience in pick-up and drop-off.

“Why does the school come up with this method? How can we ensure that our children can eat by bringing their own food in sealed containers and leaving it out all morning without refrigeration? How will they eat?”, a parent wondered.

W-Cu Khe Primary School.jpg — This morning, October 20, many parents of Cu Khe Primary School (Binh Minh Commune, Hanoi ) decided to let their children stay home from school to protest the school's policies.

Sharing with VietNamNet , Ms. N., whose child is studying in grade 1A at Cu Khe Primary School, said that this morning she had to take time off work to take care of her child who was home from school.

“The class has 57 students, but I asked the homeroom teacher and he said that this morning only about 20 children went to school. More than 30 children were absent because their parents could not pick them up and drop them off four times a day, or they did not agree with the idea of letting their children bring lunch early because they were afraid of leaving the food from morning to noon without keeping it cold and then reheating it when eating. Some families still send their children to school and bring lunch boxes, but I am afraid that the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages, if the food gets spoiled, the children will have stomach aches,” said Ms. N.

Ms. N. said, however, her child's class still did not have to miss the most time. Because there was a class in the school with only about 10 students attending.

Ms. M., a parent whose child is in class 4G, said that she let her child stay home from school this morning to express her opinion to the school. “Not only my family, but almost everyone in my child’s class stayed home,” Ms. M. said.

Ms. LP, a parent whose child is in grade 3 at Cu Khe Primary School, shared that the situation at the school is very tense. "Parents are upset and are calling on each other to let their children stay home from school to put pressure on them, because they think the school is indifferent and irresponsible," the parent said.

The meals that parents prepare for their children to bring to school are placed at the back of the classroom.

Although VietNamNet contacted her many times on the morning of October 20, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam, Principal of Cu Khe Primary School, was not ready to provide information or respond to the issue of a series of students absent from school. The reason the principal gave was that she was "dealing with work and did not have time yet."

"If the school still doesn't respond today, we will continue to let our children stay home from school tomorrow," said Ms. N, a parent of a first grader.

In a notice sent to parents on October 19, the school said that the selection of a new boarding meal provider will be carried out through a bidding process under the direction and supervision of the People's Committee of Binh Minh Commune, ensuring objectivity, transparency and compliance with regulations. While the school and the authorities complete the bidding process, parents can choose one of the two options the school offers to ensure students' lunch and rest.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/phu-huynh-lo-ngai-viec-hoc-sinh-tu-mang-com-trua-sau-vu-thuc-pham-ban-vao-bep-an-2454419.html