MOE probes price hikes in school canteens

BESUT: The Education Ministry will probe a report that canteen operators have hiked food prices in schools nationwide.

Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said a committee chaired by Director-General Tan Sri Abd Ghaffar Mahmud would probe the allegation.

He said he had not received any complaint or official report from parents and school administrators parents about the matter.

"Canteen operators should not hike the price of food and drinks just because the price of sugar has increased as it is a burden to the students," he said.

He said the ministry was also working to lessen the burden of teachers who could not get approval to be transferred back to their home states.

The teachers who wanted to return to Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah did not get the transfer because there was no vacany in the three states.

Idris said Kelantan has excess of 30,000 teachers while Terengganu and Kedah have excess of 10,000 teachers.

"Most of them teach in Malay but we need those who teach in English and for History and Science."

The ministry would meet in mid-January to help teachers who failed to get the transfer despite having good grounds such as having sick parents or to be with their spouses.

On another note, Idris hopes that parents do not use the hike in the price of goods as reason for not sending their children to school. - Bernama