Population quality seen from school meals

Last week, the incident of students at Hoang Thu Pho 1 Primary Boarding School in Bac Ha (Lao Cai) eating rice with instant noodles in a VTV report caused a stir in public opinion.

The information reported by the press was confirmed by the authorities of Lao Cai province to be true, after which the principal of this school resigned.

The story of students' meals at some schools having little food also caused a wave of public opinion at the beginning of the school year, including concerns from parents of students in Hai Duong.

If the quality of meals is not guaranteed because of limited parental contributions, many people sympathize and feel sorry for the students. But if the food rations are cut due to the greed of those in charge, public opinion is indignant and angry.

I also used to feed my child at school and sometimes heard him complain that today's meal was boring, the food was dry, hard and difficult to eat...

It is difficult for parents to evaluate the quality of school meals because each child has a different taste. Parents have little chance to check whether the food portion is sufficient or not, so they mainly put their trust in the school. That is why there are upsetting incidents like the one at Hoang Thu Pho 1 School (Lao Cai).

Are boarding meals important to children's development? The answer is very important. According to data from the Ministry of Education and Training in a workshop on boarding meals at preschools, about 90% of preschool children eat at school. In Hai Duong, this figure is 99.8%. In addition to preschool children, many primary schools have a rate of students from grades 1 to 3 eating at school that is over 90%.

Thus, during the important period of children's development, at preschool and primary school age, the nutritional factor in school can account for up to 40-50% for children with semi-boarding meals.

It is a fact that, nowadays, for many reasons, even the meals at home of many children do not necessarily ensure scientific nutrition. There is a tendency for the diet to be too much meat and fish, not enough green vegetables, many children abuse fast food, sweets... leading to the phenomenon of children being overweight, obese or many families due to economic circumstances or time constraints, do not ensure nutritious meals for children.

If school meals do not ensure adequate nutrition, many children will develop or become stunted, affecting their health, physical and intellectual development.

There are many criteria to evaluate population quality, including physical strength, which includes many different factors, including measurements of height, weight, strength, speed, endurance, dexterity, etc. Of course, when the body is healthy, factors such as intelligence and spirit will also be improved.

That said, the story of boarding school meals seems simple, but it has a significant impact on the health, development of the students and the quality of the population.

Ensuring meals for students should not be just a slogan or a determination in reports, but should be realized through concrete actions. At least, we should not let unfortunate stories like those at Hoang Thu Pho 1 School and some schools that have been reported by the press about the quality of meals happen recently.