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text/ding shenyi

according to reports, recently, primary and secondary schools in shenzhen have started classes one after another, and a related video has attracted the attention of many citizens. the video screen circulated online shows a group of students wearing shenzhen school uniforms squatting on the school playground to eat, and the students' lunch boxes are all wrapped in insulation bags. the video is accompanied by a caption: "students who don't buy meals in the school cafeteria sit on the playground to eat, what kind of operation is this?" the school responded: it was "intentional" by a small workshop that orders meals outside the school. the school has actively communicated with parents and made adjustments. on september 5, the longgang district education bureau responded: the school did not arrange centralized dining areas for some students, and has urged the school to make immediate rectifications.

image source: aoyi news

there is still controversy over whether takeout can enter primary and secondary school campuses. in comparison, the school allows students to eat outside food on the playground, which seems to be more tolerant than banning takeout from the campus. those in favor believe that students should be given the right to choose. opponents believe that the school cannot conduct quality control and it is easy to bring health risks. the principal of this school also said: "these takeout merchants ordered from outside the school cannot provide relevant qualifications such as business licenses, health permits, and employee health certificates, and cannot guarantee the food safety of students."

since the principal believes that these takeaways cannot guarantee the food safety of students, can it be guaranteed that students can eat in the playground? in fact, this will increase the safety hazard because of the unsanitary environment on the playground. this punitive measure, in addition to being "for your own good", is also inevitably questionable. the principal is also anxious about the school cafeteria being squeezed out.

the reporter found that the "fee notice board" of the school cafeteria showed that the lunch fee was 1,646 yuan per semester, and students could order meals voluntarily. at the school kitchen, rice was scattered all over the table, and there were dirty footprints on the ground. the collected cutlery baskets were placed on the ground, and students often came in and out with plastic buckets filled with leftovers. it seems that the food safety of the school cafeteria is not up to standard.

compared with take-out food on campus, from the perspective of ensuring campus food safety, centralized meal supply in schools is easier to ensure food quality control, and easier to find loopholes and clarify responsibilities, but the responsibilities must be truly implemented and the cost-effectiveness of centralized meal supply must be highlighted. if the school cafeteria has a rich variety of food, nutritious, delicious and cheap, will students still order take-out?

the school’s original intention of “doing it for your own good” is understandable, but the standard for testing “doing it for your own good” is “everyone says it’s good”.

first, schools should respect students' right to know. through precise surveys, we should see whether students agree with those things that are "for your own good". secondly, schools should respect students' right to choose. today's students are becoming more and more individualistic, and different students have different needs. some things that are "for your own good" may be applauded by some students, while others may not. this requires analyzing the reasons and making more students applaud through diversified segmentation, rather than "one size fits all" or punitive discrimination. thirdly, we should respect students' right to express and supervise. now the quality of students is improving year by year. schools should guide students to learn self-management, give full play to the role of student unions, let students speak freely, let them jointly formulate school rules that need to be followed, and implement group supervision. this is also required by quality education.

the mission of education is to "cultivate the mind, build the soul, enlighten the mind, and nourish the heart." to change school management from "for your own good" to "everyone says it's good" is a deeper understanding of the mission of education.

[source: jiupai news]