A canteen that feels like home
HONESTY is the best policy to teach young children and what better way to do that than in school.
Selangor’s SK Bandar Tasik Kesuma pupils are so honest that they drop the money for their meals into containers after taking their food.
Not only that, they also take their own change, says the school’s headmistress Noridah Abdul Aziz. “Everything is self-service.” She says that the canteen operator and ‘canteen marshals’ are on hand to make sure the pupils do not take more change than they are supposed to.
This, however, is not a problem as their friends would point out loudly if someone was taking more money than they should.
It’s not only self-service but selfclean up as well in this school.
“We want them to treat the canteen as they treat their homes,” says Noridah.
Sadly, she adds, a lot of pupils are messy when they eat and this is the result of parents pampering their children too much.
The school also has its own composting section and grows their own produce.
Their efforts led to the school winning a bunch of prizes at the Canteen Services Best Practices 2019 recognition ceremony.
SK Bandar Tasik Kesuma won the silver prize for the 3R Campaign Recognition Primary School category and the Healthy and Fresh Canteen Recognition Primary School category.
They also won the bronze prize in the Generasi Farm Fresh Video Recognition Primary School category.
All in, the school took home
RM7,000, trophies and certificates of recognition.
Nutritious packed meals was what helped set SK Pauh Jaya, Penang, apart from its competitors this year.
The school also provides packed healthy meals for its pupils, says its headmaster Ramlee Abu Bakar.
Parents pay for these meals, together with a drink and valued at RM3, to the school canteen operators.
It’s completely voluntary and throughout this year, around 300 pupils have been enjoying these meals at the school.
This is the first time the school received the gold overall recognition for the Primary School category.
“We didn’t expect to win especially when we saw how good our competition were.”
Ramlee said the school rotates
between 10 different meal options on the menu, which includes rice, fruits and vegetables. As for drinks, he says the school serves fresh fruit juices and that sugary drinks such as cordial syrups are not allowed.
He says that the canteen is kept spotless with the canteen staff constantly cleaning the place.
Besides that, the prefects are also keeping a close eye on the pupils to make sure the place is kept tidy and discipline is maintained.
“The pupils have to line up before buying their food and we keep this practice not just in the canteen but also when they move around the school.”
SMK Bandar Baru Miri principal Jerrah Pandin says their students come from the lower socio-economic demographic.
“We wanted to create a conducive environment and provide
healthy meals for these students.
“We also renamed our canteen to Kafe Rimba (Jungle Cafe) to make it sound more unique,” says Jerrah.
Kafe Rimba has its own water feature to give it a more calming and pleasant environment.
Its menu changes daily but most importantly is that the food is healthy, Jerrah says, adding that the calorie content for each dish is also displayed.
Among the food on their menu are sandwiches, eggs, fried noodles, rice, fish and chicken, she continues.
Jerrah also says the school practices a strict ‘No Plastic’ policy.
That is not all they do to be environmentally friendly. They also do their own composting and the fertiliser is used for their own vegetable crops that are then cooked for the students.
“This win is not possible without the collective effort of our student body of 862, 81 teachers and staff, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the canteen operators,” she says.
The school in Sarawak won the Gold Prize for the Secondary School Overall category.
Both SK Pauh Jaya and SMK Bandar Baru Miri each took home RM5,000, a trophy and a certificate of recognition.
Canteen Services Best Practices began last year and brings together three major parties - canteen operators, PTAs and school staff to increase awareness and understanding about good hygiene, health and food safety practices.
It also aims to implement a culture of providing clean, healthy and safe food along the whole food preparation line, and provide a platform to promote their schools best practices activities.
During the recognition ceremony in August, Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching says the ministry is serious in implementing a programme that values food quality, hygiene, and safety in a canteen.
The initiative is done by The Holstein Milk Company in collaboration with the Education Ministry and the Health Ministry.
Cash prizes totaling RM57,000 with trophies, plaques and certificates were up for grabs this year.
The company’s managing director Loi Tuan Ee says participation doubled this year with 58 schools signing up.
“We hope that next year, more ideas and concepts will be suggested and the Canteen Services Best Practices will not only be an annual event, but one that’s highly anticipated by all the schools in Malaysia.”