One of the parents, Mrs Sommai Kamsoongnern, told the media that the Ban Puphai school in Tambon Thai Samakkhi, Wang Namkhieu district, has about 100 students and they have been given lunch subsidy from the Thai Samakkhi tambon administration organization at 20 baht per head.

She said that the school had never asked for any extra from the parents until the arrival of the recent director who has asked each parent to pay an extra five baht/day for school lunch progrmme.

She claimed that the school was given a weekly subsidy of 24,000 baht from the TAO for the free lunch program, but what they learned from the cook was that she was paid only 13,000 baht/week to buy raw materials to prepare lunches for the students.

Mrs Sommai further said that the parents used to lodge a complaint with the provincial Damrongtham center, but there has been no progress ever since.

However, the Damrongtham center’s director, Mrs Buntharee Sorum, said the center would ask the provincial primary education office to investigate the case.