Touching 17,000 VND boarding meals of students in mountainous areas

In the middle of the mountains and forests of the Vietnam - Laos border, Pha Danh Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Nam Can Commune (former Ky Son District, Nghe An Province) is the common home of 361 students, including 248 boarding students from grades 1 to 9.

For children in border areas, staying at school to study is not only a happiness but also a valuable opportunity to pursue education amidst many difficulties.

According to Decree 66 of the Government , each boarding student is supported with 963,000 VND for meals each month. From this source of funding, the school organizes a centralized kitchen, ensuring that each student's meal is nutritious.

Mr. Le Van Lam, the school's principal, shared: "Every month, the children are at school 22-23 days, eating three meals a day, starting from Sunday afternoon to Friday noon."

The menu changes constantly, with breakfast including sticky rice, egg noodles, and bread with milk. Lunch and dinner include rice, soup, fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables, always ensuring at least two main dishes.

“Each meal costs 17,000-18,000 VND depending on the menu. If there is beef, the cost will be higher,” Mr. Lam shared. To maintain the boarding kitchen, in addition to the catering staff, teachers also take turns helping to cook, divide meals and serve students.

On cold winter days, teachers get up at 5am to light the stove and prepare food in time for the students' classes.

“No one considers it a side job, because we understand that if the children eat well and are full, they will have the energy to study and stay in class. In winter, the children can also bathe in warm water, participate in vegetable planting, practice life skills and have simple but laughter-filled birthday parties,” Mr. Lam added.

Cut Thi Le Thanh, a student of class 7B, shared: “At school, we have delicious and filling meals. The food changes every day and is very clean. Teachers take care of us like their own children. We are grateful to the Party, the State and the school. We will try to study well to help our village in the future.”

Amidst many shortages, teachers at Pha Danh Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities still make efforts to ensure that each meal for students is not only filling but also nutritious.

Every day, the nurses and teachers on duty at the school together take care of each pot of rice and bowl of soup, creating a warm atmosphere like in the children's own family.

Thanks to regular boarding meals, students are healthier, more diligent, and less worried about long journeys or being hungry one day and full the next. Parents in the village also feel secure sending their children to school, knowing that at school, teachers take care of every meal and sleep.

Decree No. 66/2025/ND-CP of the Government stipulates policies for kindergarten children, students, and trainees in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island areas, as well as educational institutions with students eligible for support policies. Each boarding student is supported by the State with monthly meal allowances.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/xuc-dong-nhung-bua-com-ban-tru-17000-dong-cua-hoc-sinh-vung-cao-20251015205100467.htm