Call for increase in budgets to provide nutritious lunches

[webfact]

Call for increase in budgets to provide nutritious lunches

By SUMALEE SUWANKORN 
THE NATION 

 

Students of Ban Pang Pei School in Nan's Muang district eat as officials from the Primary Educational Service Area Office on Monday conduct a random check on lunch budget spending.

 

SCHOOL DIRECTORS and teachers are calling for an increase in the Bt20-per-head school lunch budget after two schools were exposed for serving meals of plain rice noodle and fish sauce, and bowls of rice minus any meat.
 

The budget – equivalent to Bt3,000-Bt4,000 per meal for a small school of 150 to 200 pupils – can barely cover basic costs nowadays, they said. 

 

As well as buying ingredients, a school has to hire a cook, buy cooking gas and pay other related expenses, they said. 

 

Some schools also saved between Bt100 and Bt200 each day from this budget to fund student fieldtrips which the children’s parents could not afford, they said. 

 

 

A Northeast-based primary school director who asked not to be named said: “Lunch budget cheating can be done in various ways. One is by withdrawing the lunch budget but not buying any food so pupils have to bring their own lunchboxes. Second, spending only part of the budget to buy food and keeping the rest; third, using the whole lunch budget to buy food but demanding a commission from shops. It is up to the school directors or the responsible teacher’s conscience not to do it.” 

 

Some bidders for food contracts at big schools may bribe the school director to secure the project, but with an already-small budget, students end up with less nutritious meals, he said. Cheating would be harder to detect at big schools because the overall budget could still cover a meal for students. 

 

Lunch budget cheating at a small-sized school would lead to obvious problems because the amount of money was not large, he said. 

“Bt20 per head is already rather small to provide a lunch meal. Sometimes pupils at my school want to eat something delicious, so we ask them to bring their own cooked rice so that the school can give the special dish requested. With the Bt20 budget, we can give only one dish,” he said. 

 

 

“I would like the budget to be higher. Most of the Bt3,000 it takes to feed 150 children only covers the cost of the rice, leaving little money to cover food ingredients and fruit for a snack,” the school director said. A dish of rice with curry on top nowadays is at least Bt40. 

 

A primary school teacher in Surin said his small school faced little risk of lunch graft since it was located in the middle of a community where villagers can come in and check on teachers and activities. 

 

“Teachers also need to help prepare the meal sometimes because the cook cannot make it all in time. Some teachers also eat the same lunch, pitching in Bt400-Bt500 per week, and helping out so the lunch meal will have two items,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30348138

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-20

[Samui Bodoh]

It is astonishing that a lunch budget can be embezzled or that a school can 'low-ball' costs of nutritious food for children.

 

When I read stories like this, I have to ask how Thai people can look at themselves in the mirror.

 

Apologies, I truly dis-like the 'Thai-bashing' that occurs regularly on this Forum, but when it comes to stealing from or short-changing children, it is different.

 

If Thailand is going to provide a lunch for its pupils, give them a good, healthy, nutricious one.

 

Period.

 

[kannot]

judging  by the  amount of huge fat  porkers  especially  women  round here............... they  have sloth  written  all over  them

[kannot]

7 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

It is astonishing that a lunch budget can be embezzled or that a school can 'low-ball' costs of nutritious food for children.

 

When I read stories like this, I have to ask how Thai people can look at themselves in the mirror.

 

Apologies, I truly dis-like the 'Thai-bashing' that occurs regularly on this Forum, but when it comes to stealing from or short-changing children, it is different.

 

If Thailand is going to provide a lunch for its pupils, give them a good, healthy, nutricious one.

 

Period.

 

From what I see they spend ALL day and night  looking in the mirror

[ezzra]

41 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

It is astonishing that a lunch budget can be embezzled or that a school can 'low-ball' costs of nutritious food for children.

 

When I read stories like this, I have to ask how Thai people can look at themselves in the mirror.

 

Apologies, I truly dis-like the 'Thai-bashing' that occurs regularly on this Forum, but when it comes to stealing from or short-changing children, it is different.

 

If Thailand is going to provide a lunch for its pupils, give them a good, healthy, nutricious one.

 

Period.

 

Here some more ' Thai bashing', what do you do when the people who are incharge of providing food to those kids are stealing, thieving and pilfering either the funds for it or the quality of the food? so much so that the end up eating rubbish and rotten milk...

[YetAnother]

57 minutes ago, webfact said:

It is up to the school directors or the responsible teacher’s conscience not to do it.” 

then nothing will change; thais are quite weak at self regulation

[akampa]

How many parents actually see what food the school dishes out to their kids I know I don't and after reading this report I know where I am heading at lunch time.

[simoh1490]

It's truly shameful that Thai people who pretend to have so much love for young children can steal the money intended to make those children healthy and grow. I do question, however, one piece in the article, it says that "A dish of rice with curry on top nowadays is at least Bt40", I can go eat a very tasty and nutritious plate of fried noodle and chicken with veg. for 50 baht at Airport Mall, that covers the cost of ingredients, cooking gas, labour, ground rent and profit - if those guys can do it, why can't the schools?

[rkidlad]

People wonder how others can steal from the destitute or children, etc? Easy - when your social system is focused so much on hierarchy, and you’re in a position when you’re the boss or above others, you will feel you’re better than them. Many in these kind of positions will feel that taking the money is completely normal and a right. I see my boss often treat her staff like crap. Why? I believe one big reason is  becuase she sees these people as beneath her. 

 

 

 

 

[z42]

Well surely there should be a better way, coupons or some such thing whereby the money isn't in a position that it can be embezzled like the dirty thieves did before. It just seems that the majority of Thais in high positions, when given the chance to make a baht under the table, simply can't help themselves..

It is astonishing that anyone would steal meals from a young child for corruption's sake. Deplorable form by any standards

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Here some more ' Thai bashing', what do you do when the people who are incharge of providing food to those kids are stealing, thieving and pilfering either the funds for it or the quality of the food? so much so that the end up eating rubbish and rotten milk...

 

And this  school director is shown at a meeting on this subject looking all indignant and basically says don't blame me blame the caterer. (Would you buy a used car from this man?)

 

He's desperately trying to distance himself (but he can't) from the responsibility of both continuous oversight and the responsibility to ensure the kids eat enough and with acceptable nutritional value,  and fix it immediately if needed.

 

Yes maybe it needs more funds and that point should be (should have been) attended to regularly.  From a cynical aspect view more funds very possibly just means more, higher rake off, but it can't be looked at from that angle.

 

From a different point of view school directors should be making, setting the good examples of everything connected to good education of all Thai children.

 

As shown many times recently they are just corrupt greedy low-life thieves. I wonder what audit procedures are already and permenantly in place to audit school spending including whether the signature process leaves open opportunity for siphoning off money?

 

I wonder what the 'fee' is to buy a school director position?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2018 by scorecard

[sammieuk1]

Its tank salad or submarine soup with satellite sauce on the menu for the next 25 years. 

[Cadbury]

The education system is right up there with the RTP in the corruption stakes. School directors and their selected underlings are masters at milking the system.

No different to any other department in the civil service. It is just the means of how they do it and size of the take that is different. From school lunches to stealing from the destitute.

 

[simoh1490]

1 minute ago, Cadbury said:

The education system is right up there with the RTP in the corruption stakes. School directors and their selected underlings are masters at milking the system.

No different to any other department in the civil service. It is just the means of how they do it and size of the take that is different. From school lunches to stealing from the destitute.

 

But nobody beats the Customs people, they're the real pro's.

[harada]

The cheek of them asking for more money too feed the kids when there are pockets to be lined and military hardware to be purchased.

[Anak Nakal]

Steal good food from children?

It evil.

[CLW]

The numbers mentioned from the anonymous teacher doesn't make sense to me and sounds like some pretty hefty corruption going on.
At my university in central Bangkok the vendors are selling rice on top meals for 20 Baht. And they have to pay rent as well.
So it should be possible for a school in the rural area where raw material prices and wages for the cook are lower than in Bangkok to cook a meal for 20 Baht.

[BEVUP]

6 hours ago, Cadbury said:

The education system is right up there with the RTP in the corruption stakes. School directors and their selected underlings are masters at milking the system.

No different to any other department in the civil service. It is just the means of how they do it and size of the take that is different. From school lunches to stealing from the destitute.

 

& running 1 hr classes after school in the same classroom & charging 

Always the same sh%#e, " your child's not quite up to scratch, needs more learning " 

[Redline]

On 6/20/2018 at 5:57 AM, ezzra said:

Here some more ' Thai bashing', what do you do when the people who are incharge of providing food to those kids are stealing, thieving and pilfering either the funds for it or the quality of the food? so much so that the end up eating rubbish and rotten milk...

And stealing from every fund that helps the vulnerable here-poor, elderly, children, education...it is sickening 

[djayz]

Out of curiosity - why don't kids here take a lunch box with them to school? Surely a freshly made lunch by mom must be healthier and less expensive that " ฿ 20 lunches". Not to mention the fruit and/or snacks she can add. 

[stanleycoin]

43 minutes ago, djayz said:

Out of curiosity - why don't kids here take a lunch box with them to school? Surely a freshly made lunch by mom must be healthier and less expensive that " ฿ 20 lunches". Not to mention the fruit and/or snacks she can add. 

Parents are to selfish and lazy.

Breakfast, if any,   consists of the food cart out side the house.

Preparing food for the kids to take with them, requires effort.

No chance. TIT.

 

Ps Maybe a slight safety issue as to what,  will not go off,  if left in a plastic box for 4-5 hours with no refrigerator, but fruit, and some other stuff, yes why not.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2018 by stanleycoin