The Department of Education and Training in HCM City is investigating into a complaint by parents at a local international school over poor meals.
Parents of students at Vietnam-Australia International School in Sala have filed complaints about low nutrition meals and poor quality food. According to a parent, her child often complained about being hungry after returning home from school. She and other parents decided to visit them at school during lunch and discovered poorly-prepared meals.
There was some rice, a bit of chicken and fish and soup and a slice of watermelon. The parents have to pay VND7.7m (USD331) for secondary students and VND6.3m for primary students’ lunches for 10 weeks. Each meal costs from VND130,000 to VND150,000.
The school’s representative said they had received the complaints and will work with the suppliers. The school promises to update the information to the parents and improve the services.
Bui Thi Diem Thu, deputy head of the Department of Education and Training, said they also received the information and would carry out an inspection at both public and private schools. She went on to say that a proper meal for children only cost over VND30,000 (USD1.29).
“We will ask the schools to let parents monitor the children’s meals. If the schools have their own kitchens or hire other suppliers, they must provide the means for the parents to monitor the situation,” Thu said.
The Ministry of Education and Training is using the menu of Ajinomono for the nutritional needs for kindergarten children. There are no regulations about nutritional needs for children at secondary and high schools.
The Vietnam-Australia International School is one of the expensive private schools in HCM City. Its annual tuition for 2019-2020 school year is VND143m (USD6,100) to VND425m per student.
Source: Dtinews