"Respond, School Meal Environment" ... Gang Seonghwan, Daegu City Council Member, Secures 25.4 Billion Won Budget for School Meal Facility Improvements

Daegu City Council member Kang Seong-hwan.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Daegu City Council Education Committee member Kang Seonghwan responded to the improvement of hazardous factors in school cafeterias, requested during the administrative audit on the 9th, with next year's budget allocation by the City Office of Education.

The City Office of Education reflected a total of 25.4 billion KRW in next year's budget, including 24.4 billion KRW for improving school meal facilities, meal utensils, and small-scale facility support, and 1 billion KRW for preventing industrial accidents in cafeterias.

On the 9th, during the 2021 administrative audit of the City Office of Education, Councilor Kang urged improvements in the working environment of school meal workers, including personnel placement, professional investigation and improvement of ventilation facilities in cafeterias, and conducting safety education.

He also demanded a fact-finding survey on accidental injuries and occupational diseases caused by work environments such as burns, falls, and musculoskeletal disorders.

He raised his voice to request facility improvements to minimize internal hazards such as slippery floors, heat, and steam, and to provide rest facilities for cooking workers.

The City Office of Education accepted Councilor Kang's opinions and allocated 16.2 billion KRW to 22 schools to carry out projects aimed at improving hygiene management levels at meal sites, ensuring safety, and reducing workers' workload.

They decided to invest 24.4 billion KRW in facility projects, including 8.2 billion KRW for replacing and expanding old meal utensils and improving small-scale meal facilities.

They allocated 1 billion KRW for outsourced cleaning of hazardous facilities and strengthening industrial safety and health education to ensure safe work for cooking workers.

The budget for school meal facility improvement projects totals 25.4 billion KRW, nearly doubling from 11.5 billion KRW this year, an increase of 13.9 billion KRW.

Councilor Kang said, “For healthy meals, the school meal workers who prepare the food must be healthy and safe,” adding, “I will carefully review whether the budget is properly applied during the budget review and consult with the City Office of Education to improve the cafeteria environment.”