While graft by political office-holders is an outrightly dishonest act that betrays public trust, corruption by schools and the education system is a dishonourable act that robs children of their rights and welfare and it should be treated as a serious crime.
Recently, a Facebook page of residents in Surat Thani exposed a story of young students being robbed of normal decent lunch. It shared photos of children at a public school having fermented rice noodle mixed with only fish sauce for lunch.
A lunch budget of 20 baht per head provided to this school by the Department of Local Administration may not be much, but it is more than enough to provide healthier and more decent meals for students. The story has gone viral, sparking anger by parents and triggering protest against the school director.
