CHAI NAT: A teacher transferred after accusing a Chai Nat school of serving students unhealthy lunches has been reinstated – and the school director has been moved instead.
Ms Aomaree “Khru Aom’’ Khengrit, 32, was greeted with delight by students, teachers and parents who showed up at Wat Wong Duen School in tambon Samngam Thabot of Hankha district to give her moral support on Thursday morning after she was moved back to the school.
Earlier, the Chai Nat Provincial Primary Educational Service Area Office transferred Ms Aomaree to the office pending an investigation into the school’s lunch scandal. She earlier told media blood had been thrown in front of her classroom on the morning of Aug 21 and posted on Facebook the blood-stained floor.
The teacher believed the incident might have been a threat over her remarks about the poor quality of the school lunch. She earlier posted on Facebook images showing kindergarten pupils served with stir-fried instant noodles without any meat or vegetables and commented the dishes were substandard and cost less than the allocated budget .
Local police investigated and found plastic bags with traces of pig’s blood and empty packs of instant noodles in a garbage bin at the school.
The school explained the dishes were served on that day because fresh food could not be bought during the Chinese New Year festival. The excuse was later challenged by parents, who insisted fresh food, chicken, pork, sausages and other kinds of vegetables were available at a grocery shop near the school on that day.
The Chai Nat Provincial Primary Educational Service Area Office looked into the incident and moved Ms Aomaree to the education office. The order, which took effect on Aug 27, sparked an outcry from many parents.
Fried instant noodles are served to students at Wat Wong Duen School in Chai Nat. (Facebook photo via Chudate Seehawong)
On Wednesday evening, the office signed an order to transfer school director Suthep Singsom. The next day, Ms Aomaree was transferred back to the school.
The 32-year-old teacher on Thursday thanked media members, parents, students and her colleagues for their support. She said she was overjoyed to return to teach her students. She also thanked social media users for the hashtags #savekhruaom #protectkhruaom.
Thai Civilized Party leader and list MP Mongkolkit Suksintaranont and Mr Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, chairman of the crime victims' assistance club, showed up at the school on Thursday morning to investigate the lunch scandal.
Mr Mongkolkit said the school, with about 100 students, received a state budget of 20 baht per head for students’ lunches.
Concerned agencies had to take into consideration school sizes before allocating the money. Large schools normally had no problems of state subsidies for lunches, but small ones had problems, said the party leader.
Mr Atchariya said the school had put on a bulletin board the weekly menu but what was served did not match it. He would investigate why the school let the cook change the menu.
He would also look into the unjustified transfer of teacher Aomaree although she was reinstated.
