Anti-corruption inspection finds school lunches failing to include meat
An inspection of lunches for students at a school in Trang province found that they were not receiving adequate meals, the provincial office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission said earlier on Thursday.
Although the menu displayed in the school’s cafeteria said the students would receive chicken and pork, some students did not get either meat, while others received just a single piece, the inspection found.
A team of inspectors was sent to the unnamed school after the commission received complaints about lunches served to its students.
Bundit Kuansuwan, director of the commission’s Trang office sent Yuttana Wimolmuang, a specialised anti-corruption officer, and his team, along with Chaiwut Sawatdirak, president of the Trang Anti-corruption Club, to inspect lunches at the school.
The school has 250 students from kindergarten to Grade 9. It receives funds from the government to serve lunches to 208 students from kindergarten to Grade 6. In total, it receives 4,576 baht per day, or 22 baht per student.
The allocated budget is disbursed at the sub district level and schools can hire contractors to provide the lunches.
Students from Grade 7 to Grade 9, 42 in total, either brought food from home or bought food at the school’s store. Two Islamic students in lower grades brought their own meals because the school’s menu sometimes includes pork.
The inspection team found that the contractor prepared the meals in the school’s kitchen, paying 300 baht per day for water and electricity.
The menu displayed at the school on the day of the inspection said the lunch comprised stir-fried noodles with vegetables and pork, soup with minced chicken, and half a banana. The bananas, however, had been replaced with guavas because none were available in the local market.
During the inspection of each student's lunch, it was found that some students received a very small portion of meat – just one piece in some cases – or none at all.
Although teachers allowed students to refill their trays until they were full, students were still being short changed of meat, the inspection found.
Arunsri Thiengtham, the school’s director, said that the lunch programme was outsourced and that teachers oversaw its food quality and menu planning.
Yutthana said that some students received inadequate food compared to the allocated budget.
Teachers have been instructed by the inspectors to monitor food to ensure that the quantity and quality meets the contract requirements and is sufficient for the students.
The anti-corruption commission has been conducting inspections of school lunches in all 10 districts of Trang province for more than three years.
