High price of ingredients hits canteen operators and parents

JOHOR BARU: The three months of rent exemption for school canteen operators until March 31 will only be a small relief for a canteen operator here.Fauziah Mohamad, who has been operating a primary school canteen in Kota Tinggi for the past eight years, said the school management only told her that she did not need to pay rent for now.

“The exemption will end in March and the Ramadan fasting month will begin on March 22. This means I can’t open my canteen for five weeks.“But I still need to pay salaries to my eight workers and pay the monthly electricity and water bills,” she said in an interview.