KUALA LUMPUR – Canteen operators are advised to continue their operations during Ramadan, even for schools with less than 10% non-Muslims in their total student population.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said canteens should remain open so non-Muslim students do not have to eat in storerooms or by the drains during recess.
Aside from non-Muslim students, she said there are children in primary schools who are not required to fast and need to buy food at the canteen.
“I don’t want a situation where students eat in the storeroom or by the drain.
“There is no need for (entrepreneurs) to close the canteen,” she told reporters after an event here to hand over back-to-school backpacks by Yayasan Petronas to low-income families.
Last year, a school here was criticised for closing the canteen during Ramadan, even though parents of the 11 non-Muslim students were said to have agreed with it.
It was reported in 2013 that non-Muslim students in a Sg Buloh primary school were forced to eat in the toilet during recess.
The principal allegedly said the shower room was a temporary solution, as the school canteen was unable to accommodate all students.
Some students had to sit by the drains near the canteen during their break. – The Vibes, March 22, 2023
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