Ministry asks local authorities to carry out more inspections on school meals

The Ministry of Education has asked local education authorities to carry out more inspections on school meals as recent food safety incidents have reignited public scrutiny of the sector.

In a notice issued on Wednesday, the ministry said the inspections will comb through all the problems found last semester, while making plans for the new semester.

Local education authorities should use the summer vacation to train school administrators, principals and school safety management personnel, as well as new head teachers.

They should also train school canteen mangers, so that all relevant parties know the protocols in canteen safety management.

In a recent incident, 233 children enrolled at a kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu province, were found to have abnormal levels of lead exposure, with 201 of them being hospitalized for treatment.

According to initial investigation, the kindergarten’s principal, surnamed Zhu, and its investor, surnamed Li, allowed kitchen workers to purchase brightly colored industrial pigments through online platforms and use them in preparation of food after dilution.

Eight people have been detained and authorities in Gansu province, led by key officials, have set up a task force to conduct an elevated investigation into the case. The investigation is ongoing.

In a separate incident, multiple students at a school in Hangzhou suffered nosebleeds, which parents suspect are related to a nearby factory waste discharge.

A joint investigation team of local environment protection, health and education authorities, as well as experts, the media and parents has been set up to conduct a thorough investigation on student’s health and environment discharge level, according to a notice issued by the local government on Tuesday.

The ministry has asked local education authorities to conduct thorough investigation on safety hazards in and around schools during the summer break.

Education authorities and schools must realize the importance of student safety during summer break, resolutely avoid any slack in responsibility and take more forceful and targeted measures to ensure safety, the ministry said.

The ministry has also reminded parents to cautiously choose summer camps, study tours and after-school tutoring institutions and view them rationally to prevent any incidents that harm the mental and physical well-being of students.

Education authorities need to work with other local departments to offer day care services to students by making good use of public facilities such as museums, science halls and gymnasiums. Schools are encouraged to offer affordable day care services without mandating teachers and students to participate.

The ministry also stressed that no classes are allowed during the summer break, while schools are not allowed to delay the summer vacation or start the fall semester early.

They should limit the amount of homework during summer vacation. Assigning homework via cellphones is forbidden, students are not allowed to finish homework in cellphones and parents are not allowed to check their children’s homework in the device.