Souper blunder: Samut Sakhon school serves up lunch letdown with low-quality meals
A school in Samut Sakhon has been criticised for providing low-quality lunches to its students. The Facebook page ‘ปฏิบัติการณ์หมาเฝ้าบ้าน’ shared the harrowing story. The school’s director responded to the issue, stating that lunches are provided according to government nutritional guidelines and that students who are still hungry can buy snacks from the canteen.
The Facebook page claims that this has been an ongoing issue every day, except for periods when school authorities are aware of inspections when the food quality and quantity improve slightly. The lunches’ small portions, often repeated menus and bland taste were highlighted as concerns. In response, the school director stated in a flag-raising ceremony…
“We serve food based on nutritional guidelines. Students who are still hungry can buy additional snacks from the canteen.”
The school in question caters to over 300 students, ranging from kindergarten 2 to Grade 6, during the first term of 2023. The government provides 22 baht per student for lunch subsidies, resulting in a daily cost of 6,666 baht for meals. Over a 200-day school year, this amounts to a total budget of 1,332,200 baht annually, KhaoSod reported.
In light of these revelations, questions have been raised about whether this issue is limited to one school or may be part of a broader systemic problem in Thailand’s education system. The sharing of the story has sparked a debate concerning the adequacy of government-funded lunches, the education budget, and the importance of nutritious meals for students.
Last year, pictures of a low-quality lunch served at a public kindergarten in Prachuap Khiri Khan, in the western province of Thailand, caused outrage in the netizens community.
The Facebook page, อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทริน์ part 3, (Let Me Know If You Want to Be Famous Return Part 3), posted pictures of lunch at Bang Sapan Noi School saying it look unhealthy and inadequate, and called for relevant government departments to investigate the school.
