Parents angry after school lunches arrive near 1 p.m. for two straight days

For two consecutive days, pupils at Kim Bai Primary School in Hanoi waited until around 1 p.m. for their midday meals. Several parents became so concerned that they went to the school and took their children home.

A parent with two children at the school told Tuoi Tre that the catering company delivered lunch late on both Sept. 7 and Sept. 8. On the first day, students ate at about 12:30 p.m. On the second, the meals arrived around 1 p.m., roughly two hours after the scheduled eating time.

The parent also said some families had complained that the portions were inadequate. "If they have accepted responsibility for cooking for the children, they must deliver the food on time," the parent said.

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If they have accepted responsibility for cooking for the children, they must deliver the food on time.

School principal Pham Trung Anh confirmed that the meals arrived late on both days. While students waited on Sept. 8, the school bought bread and milk for them. After meetings with the school and Thanh Oai commune leaders, the catering provider accepted responsibility and asked to withdraw from the contract starting Sept. 9.

The school will suspend its boarding meal service until it finds a new provider. Kim Bai Primary School has 1,500 pupils, including more than 600 who eat lunch at school.

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The school had to buy bread and milk for the students while waiting for the boarding meals.