No issue of rising food prices in school canteens - Education Ministry

PUTRAJAYA - Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has assured the public that there will be no issue of rising food prices in school canteens.

She stressed that the price of food in school canteens is stipulated in the guidelines and agreement between the vendors, schools and the ministry.

"The ministry has taken note of the issue of the rising costs but we will look into the guidelines as well as conduct discussions with schools," she told reporters after officiating a sports coaching seminar and launching the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) calendar for 2023 on Wednesday.

She said this in response to parents' concerns that food prices in school canteens may increase ahead of the school session starting next week.

When asked about the proposal to standardise food and drink prices in school canteens according to locality, Fadhlina said that the matter would be looked into.

"If there is a need for price uniformity, we will see from time to time," she said

Meanwhile, Fadhlina said that the school maintenance allocation expenditure will not be reduced for the 2023 Budget.

"We give the allocation as usual, there is no reduction because we want to make sure schools are safe and comfortable," she said.

In Budget 2023, the Education Ministry received the highest allocation of RM55.2 billion compared to RM52.6 billion in the previous year.