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17
Reply:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Mr President,
undertaking a comprehensive assessment and planning on lunch arrangements for school children, and introducing effective monitoring measures to ensure that school children are provided with hygienic and nutritious meals;
reviewing the existing measures and guidelines concerning lunch arrangements for school children and monitoring their implementation to ensure that the prescribed standards are met;
incorporating the provision of venues of having lunches in the list of standard facilities for new school premises; and
promoting and encouraging parent-teacher associations to monitor and manage the lunch arrangements for school children, and stepping up publicity to remind parents and students of the effects of eating habits on health?
Meal arrangements for students in schools are matters of concern to the Education Department. The Education Department advises schools through two circulars on operation of tuckshops and on arranging meals from licensed food establishments. Turning to the specific parts of the questions:
(a)
(b)
Given the trend that more students are staying in school for lunch and that more whole-day primary schools are coming on stream, the Education Department is conducting a review on existing lunch arrangements which includes monitoring measures. The Department expects to complete the review by August 1996.
The Education Department's review as described in paragraph (a) above includes a careful examination of the existing guidelines to schools with a view to updating and supplementing them as necessary. The Department aims to issue the new guidelines to schools before the start of the new school year in September 1996. In the new circular, schools will be encouraged to form co-ordination groups to supervise, co- ordinate and improve meal arrangements for students.