Parents speak out about the 'poor' boarding meals in Da Nang

Lunch time at Phu Dong Primary School - Photo: PHAN NGUYEN

Previously, an anonymous account claiming to be a parent of Phu Dong Primary School, Hai Chau District, Da Nang, posted 3 photos claiming to be his child's lunch, taken by his child. This person was concerned about the quality of the lunch but said he was not allowed to monitor. Many comments said that the school "gutted" the students' meals.

Immediately afterwards, Hai Chau district leaders came to inspect and confirmed that they regularly organized surprise inspections but had not recorded any cases of poor quality meals.

Parents say the boarding meals are guaranteed.

Tuoi Tre Online received many comments from parents not directly involved in the incident.

Ms. Diep Anh Nhat, a parent of a second grader at Phu Dong Primary School, said she is a member of the parent representative board and also participates in a chat group of parents representatives of the grade level. This group regularly updates pictures of the students' lunches, including daily fresh food and meals in class.

Ms. Nhat said that in the first semester, there were parents who thought that the meals were not enough for their students. She suddenly went to her child's class to check. The results showed that the food was exactly as per the menu, and the portion sizes were okay.

"Regarding the food, it is clear that the meals are complete, not like the anonymous post. The reflection that parents are not allowed to check the meals is also completely incorrect, when I have come at least twice unexpectedly. I proved that I am the parent of a student in which class, wanted to check the child's meals and the security guard happily agreed," said Ms. Nhat.

Hai Yen’s parent also said that she had been to the school many times to see how her child was eating. She shared that the menu was adjusted based on parents’ suggestions, such as the okra stuffed with shrimp in the photo online, or the chicken with onion… which did not suit the students’ taste so they were removed. Or sometimes when it was cold but the students still ate cold food for snacks, after giving feedback, the menu was adjusted promptly.

Photo of meal reported to lack meat - Photo: FB

Cannot compare school meals with street food

Hai Yen's parent commented: "You can't look at 1-2 trays of rice and then judge the entire meal of thousands of students. School meals cannot be compared to street food because the quality of the food is different. Not to mention that the images circulating are just a few selectively taken trays from last year and portions like salmon rice balls do not have any fish meat on the outside, which is true."

Each meal at school costs 22,000 VND - Photo: PH

Ms. Truong Thi Nha Truc - principal of Phu Dong Primary School - said that the students' lunch costs 22,000 VND (excluding 3,000 VND cooking fee). The meal includes rice, soup, main dish, side dish and fruit.

"Like the beef soup in the photo, the quantity is 10 ounces of ground beef divided into 10 servings of soup. The division is sometimes uneven, causing some trays to have less meat. With the price of 22,000 VND, teachers have to calculate very carefully to ensure adequate nutrition for students," said Ms. Truc.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phu-huynh-len-tieng-vu-suat-an-ban-tru-o-da-nang-bi-che-leo-teo-20250422134758432.htm