Expensive Food Lacking In Quality: Parents Demand the Ministry of Education to Solve

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PETALING JAYA, 15 JAN: Parents and representatives of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) demand the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the State Education Department (JPN) to solve the price issue of food and beverages sold in school canteens that are deemed expensive, claimed the PKR Chairman of Consumer Affairs, Yahya Sahri.

In addition, the low quality of food is also the complaint from parents.

Yahya said that the prices of food and drinks sold in all school canteens should be met with standard quality.

This situation will altogether help ensure the comfort of students and reduce pressure faced by parents.

“For example, some schools sell a piece of fried nugget at RM0.50 while at night markets, it is available at RM1.00 for four or three pieces.

“A glass of water mixed with a variety of flavours is sold at RM1.00.

“When parents ask the canteen traders questions, they reply, what is there to do, prices of everything have increased,” he said in a press conference at the PKR headquarters.

Yahya stressed that this issue can be solved should the ministries involved and the schools properly discuss seeing that this matter involves the parents’ expenditure in managing their children’s school session.

“To reduce the cost of businesses, the rental costs of canteens can be paid with a pretty minimal price, the cost of electricity and water bills can be shouldered by the Ministry of Education,” he added.

Also raised was the the issue of purchasing A4 sized exercise books which is compulsory to be bought while student notebooks are used for copying notes and exercises.

Several PTA representatives said that the compulsory purchase of four of those book at a price of RM2.40 per book is merely for the sake of profiting the supplier, Edaran Pro Dinasti which allegedly has close ties with the Council of Secondary School Principles (MPSM).

The sale of these books also has the consent and green light from JPN and MOE.

“According to information we have received, the sale of this books involves all secondary schools throughout Malaysia and some primary schools.

“They gave a yearly estimate of the number of secondary students are over 2.3 million, therefore the estimated sales of books received adds up to RM19.2 million with the calculation of 2 million students x RM9.60 (4xRM2.40),” he said.

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