Cafeterias in schools granted permission for unscheduled inspections
In a significant move towards improving the quality of education and student health, Minister of Education Gani Beisembayev has announced the introduction of new school meal standards in Kazakhstan. These updated standards aim to promote healthier eating habits among students by emphasizing the inclusion of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products in school nutrition.
The changes are part of broader efforts to enhance the quality of education and student health. They include more rigorous inspections of school nutrition services to ensure adherence to the new quality standards. These inspections, conducted by the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (SES), will now be carried out daily, marking a significant increase from the previous monthly inspections. The SES now also has the right to conduct unscheduled inspections of organizations providing school meals at any time without prior notice.
To support the successful rollout of the new meal standards, increased training programs for school staff related to nutrition standards and student health are being implemented. Staff responsible for school meals have received further training to prevent violations and enhance responsibility. School nurses are now involved in daily quality checks of school meals, further strengthening internal control.
The reforms also include measures to reduce the content of salt, sugar, and harmful ingredients in school meals. This is a step towards ensuring the health and quality of meals for students.
The changes align with broader governmental initiatives aimed at improving overall education quality, child safety, and health. They also reflect a continuing commitment to elevating school meal quality as part of a wider educational and health policy framework in Kazakhstan.
The Ministry of Education is collaborating with the Ministry of Health to implement these new standards. The changes were announced at a press conference held at the Government's platform. However, the press conference did not provide information about when these changes will be implemented.
These reforms were reported by Vechernyaya Astana. The focus of the new meal standards appears to be on nutritious, higher quality, and safer meals combined with better regulatory oversight and professional development. No detailed regulatory texts or exact technical specifications of the new meal standards were provided in the search results.
The Ministry of Education's collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Health are aimed at integrating science, health-and-wellness, and education-and-self-development, as they announce the implementation of new school meal standards prioritizing nutritious, higher quality, and safer meals in Kazakhstan. The changes, including daily inspections and training programs for school staff, reflect a commitment to promoting a comprehensive learning environment that supports students' physical and intellectual growth.
