Tran Ngoc Ha, principal of Hoang Thu Pho 1 Primary School in Bac Ha District, was suspended for 15 days as Lao Cai authorities clarify feedback on boarding meals for students at the school.

The move came after a report by Vietnam Television (VTV) on December 16 revealed that over 170 students at the boarding school were given poor meals.

VTV recently visited the school and saw that a table with 11 students only had two packages of instant noodles boiled as soup to be served with rice as breakfast, while the menu said each student would get one instant noodle package and one egg for their meals.

For lunch and dinner, the students were only given some chopped tofu cooked with minced pork and vegetable broth, even though the menu for lunches and dinners said there would be 14 kilos of pork and 11 kilos of bones. Lots of the vegetables in the kitchen were already spoiled and students were asked to come and help remove the rotten leaves.

Talking with some students after they finished their lunch, they all said they were still hungry.

A kitchen staff member admitted to VTV that she often received only a third of the ingredients written on the menu.

Meanwhile, the principal claimed that the food portions were correct.

The kitchen staff also complained that the school’s toilets lacked toilet paper, forcing the students to use leaves as substitutes.

Following the VTV report, Bac Ha District People's Committee conducted an urgent investigation at the school and confirmed the allegations. The committee has suspended the principal while carrying out further investigations into the case.

The Lao Cai Provincial Department of Education and Training and the Bac Ha District People’s Committee are working with the school on the issue.

Hoang Thu Pho 1 Primary School is among schools in difficult areas which receive financial support from the government. Each student here is given free accommodation at school, VND720,000 per month in cash and 15 kilos of rice monthly for meals.

VTV calculated that based on the meals seen at the school, the school is only spending about VND 40 million from the VND 120 million of what the government is providing monthly to the students.