Free: Dozens of Rural Governments Shortchange Student Meals to Shore Up Budgets
Sixty-six counties around China diverted more than 1.9 billion yuan of the roughly 23 billion yuan that some 160 counties received in special funds from Beijing, national audit report finds
Students from a town in Bijie City
Dozens of China’s cash-strapped local governments misappropriated billions of yuan earmarked for rural student meals from 2021 to 2023 to repay debt and boost other spending, a national audit report showed.
Of the roughly 23 billion yuan ($3.16 billion) in special funds that the central government handed out to 159 counties from 2021 to August 2023, 66 counties diverted more than 1.9 billion yuan for debt repayments and other local spending, according to a State Council report released last week.
More than 1,500 schools were able to redirect 270 million yuan earmarked for student meals by reducing the quality of the food provided, as well as by fabricating procurement, the report said.
In addition, in five counties, education departments colluded with suppliers to embezzle 42.2 million yuan, which they spent on perks for their staff.
The report found nearly 150 meal suppliers and some school cafeterias violated regulations, cutting corners and providing substandard meals. It added that some suppliers were chosen through direct appointments, and some supervisory departments were suspected of bending the law for personal gain in the supervision process.
Research has shown that providing school meals to students, especially those from poor backgrounds, is a crucial intervention to reduce child malnutrition rates, while improving enrollment and attendance rates, cognitive abilities and academic performance. Local authorities should be more responsible about implementing the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students, a wide-ranging campaign launched in 2011 to boost nutrition for rural children, so that that “every penny is spent on student meals,” Hou Kai, auditor-general of the National Audit Office, said when presenting the report Tuesday.
Misuse of such funds has not been uncommon. A 2017 survey on the implementation of the program showed meal funds and school operating expenses were often diverted by school authorities in remote and poor areas, due to insufficient funding for supporting facilities and personnel.
In some regions, delays in fund allocation required schools to make advance payments through loans from teachers and parents, according to a survey conducted by two professors at the China Institute of Rural Education Development at Northeast Normal University.
This year’s audit found the program has benefited a total of 386 million students, covering 28 provinces. The central government now invests around 20 billion yuan annually to provide a daily subsidy of 5 yuan per student in rural areas for nutritious lunches.