Parents are heartbroken over their children's meals at school.

Parents whose children attend the boarding program at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School (Ward 8, Ca Mau City, Ca Mau Province) have complained that the standards and quality of meals provided to students are not up to par.

My child lost 4 kg and frequently complains that "the food at school is inedible."

On December 11th, Ms. PTD, a parent whose child attends Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School (Ward 8, Ca Mau City, Ca Mau Province), complained to a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper about the quality of her child's school lunch.

According to Ms. D., during her time at school, her child lost 4 kg and frequently complained that "the food at school is inedible." After investigating, Ms. D. was deeply saddened by the quality of her child's meals at school.

The lunch meal for boarding students at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School on December 11th cost 24,000 VND.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY PARENTS

On December 11th, the students' meal consisted of rice, taro soup with meat, and duck braised in coconut milk. However, each serving contained only one piece of duck meat, two small pieces of taro, and a large amount of soup.

Similar situations were observed in the preceding days. On December 9th, the meal consisted of stir-fried chicken with lemongrass and chayote soup with meat. On December 10th, the meal was fried eggs and pumpkin soup with shrimp. The images show that the food portions were very small, making it difficult to ensure adequate nutrition for the students.

The portion sizes are small due to uneven distribution.

Regarding the aforementioned complaint, Mr. Nguyen Kim Hoi, Principal of Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School, stated that the school has over 800 boarding students, with a fee of 44,000 VND per day, divided according to the People's Council resolution. Of this amount, 3,000 VND is allocated for electricity, drinking water, and other utilities; 8,000 VND for organizational activities; and the remaining 33,000 VND is distributed for lunch and afternoon snacks.

Specifically, lunch costs 24,000 VND, snack costs 9,000 VND with the menu usually consisting of cakes, milk... The school signed a contract with Ca Mau Guest House, this unit has provided meals for the school for the past 7 years.

The meal on December 10th consisted of rice, pumpkin soup with shrimp, and fried eggs.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY PARENTS

When a reporter from Thanh Niên newspaper showed him photos of lunch meals on December 11th and previous days, Mr. Hợi admitted that there were indeed cases of unevenly distributed meals. This situation had also occurred on previous days.

"Each student is given one tray of rice at lunchtime, and if there is a shortage, the staff will replenish it. However, due to the large number of students, the distribution is sometimes uneven. The school has repeatedly reminded the Ca Mau Guesthouse and invited them to work together to rectify the situation," Mr. Hoi said.

According to Mr. Hoi, the school received feedback from parents last week and has worked with the Ca Mau Guesthouse, requesting them to review the food distribution and add staff if necessary. The most recent meeting with the Ca Mau Guesthouse was on December 10th.

"If this situation continues to occur frequently, the school will consider terminating the contract with Ca Mau Guesthouse," Mr. Hoi emphasized.

The lunch served on December 9th consisted of rice, stir-fried chicken with lemongrass, and chayote soup with meat.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY PARENTS

On the same day, Ms. Chau Anh, Deputy Head of the Ca Mau Guesthouse, admitted that the uneven distribution of food portions was the fault of her unit and not related to the school. Ms. Chau Anh further explained that the person taking the photo may have only captured the weak points, showing only one piece of meat while the other meat underneath was not visible. However, after receiving feedback from the school and parents, the unit will learn from the experience and commit to rectifying the situation in the future.

Regarding the perceived small portion sizes, according to Ms. Chau Anh, the school requires a change of menu every day of the week. During periods of high prices, with a budget of 24,000 VND per meal, the school has to balance and compensate for the reduced portion sizes, ensuring some meals are more delicious and others are simpler.

Currently, Ca Mau Guesthouse provides lunch services simultaneously to three schools: Nguyen Dinh Chieu Primary School, Nguyen Tao Primary School, and Nguyen Van Troi Primary School.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ca-mau-phu-huynh-xot-xa-truoc-suat-an-cua-con-tai-truong-185241211174543383.htm