Hello,
Quite sometime for me to write something here...almost 6 months! Time is running so fast...why didnt i updating my blog, well the reasons are busy getting approval from the ministry and dept of education for me to collect my data in school canteen.. then i need to get the Headmaster approval to enter the school... too many hassle things to do... and got demotivated with too many reasons from the schools ( not all) although i am just doing my preliminary study where i am trying to get feedback from the food handlers, to know do they understand my questionnaire...
Let me tell you what had i done within 6 month of silence from blogging.. First, i had to develop my questionnaire with my supervisor.. most of the questions were adapted from people who had done their research related to my study..But it takes almost 3 months doing the corrections and seeing my beloved supervisor to get her approval.. Once, i got the approval i need to get the approval from the headmaster to enter the school canteen. One of the reason is that the canteen is in the school area.. it is not wise and can be arrested by the school guard if i just barge in the school (just joking)..Once i did get the approval from the headmasters, my first impression was that the canteen operator or owner will give full commitment.. Well they dont welcome you actually but have to because the headmaster said so but when i did talk to them and hear about their problem that they are facing... the canteen operators were giving a commitment although they hesitate to let their foreign workers to answer my questionnaire... I persuaded the owner and got at least one person. then i knew why they tried to avoid their workers to participate.. no thyphoid injection and didnt attend hygiene course (No wonder!) which is compulsory before you can be a food handler..
One of the canteen operator did complain to me regarding her situation experiencing closing the canteen business for 2 weeks because there were 4 students complained getting stomach ache and their teacher assumed they got food poisoning. The teacher reported to the headmaster immediately and this case was reported directly to the Department of education..So it had become chaos, when all the related agency such as the health department and their CSI team came to investigate the canteen.. The canteen had to be closed for 2 weeks because it is under investigation either the food from the canteen caused the students to get food poisoning...Back to the students, they were taken to the hospitals for thorough check up regarding their stomach ache.
So what happened to other students and teachers who had not been affected with the food borne diseases? The canteen was closed... so where should they get their food and drinks if the canteen was not functioning...Do you know where they get their food and drinks, the canteen operator that had been investigated had to open a table outside the canteen premises by request from the school to sell food and drinks to the students and teachers...Dont you think it is much riskier selling food that are cooked somewhere and sold on open table sort of like a hawker stall.. dont you think this will risk the students getting food poisoning much more easier...??
From the scenario above... what do you think? This is a true story and experienced by a canteen operator... Oh! The outcome of the investigation... The canteen is clean and got A grade.. the canteen operator open the canteen as usual... how about the students that were sent to the hospital? Well, they actually didnt get food poisoning.. just normal stomach ache...
P.S: will start collecting data this july with south zone (Malacca)... Hope things going smoothly insyallah..
