Parents' Voices Become Policy... Busan Education Office to Hold School Meal Talk Concert

More Than 70 Parents Participate... Sharing School Meal Policy Directions

Strengthening Student-Centered Meals by Reflecting Field Opinions

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education is creating a venue for communication where parents can listen to voices from the school meal field and connect them to policy. This is a field-oriented initiative aimed at building a healthy and safe meal environment centered on students.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will hold the '2026 Parent School Meal Talk Concert' on July 14 at the Nutrition Education Experience Center in Geumjeong-gu, with participation from more than 70 parents of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students.

This event will be attended by parents interested in school meal policies, including members of the School Meal Policy Monitoring Group, the School Meal Inspection Group, and the School Meal Subcommittee. Together, they will discuss the direction of school meal operations and possible improvements.

On that day, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education will introduce this year's school meal policy direction and hold a special lecture on nutrition for the healthy growth and development of students. The special lecture, titled 'Find the Hidden 10cm of Height', will share strategies for nutritional management and the development of healthy eating habits needed for growing students.

Participants will review case studies of school meal operations and educational activities, and take part in a hands-on activity to prepare a healthy meal. In the following policy discussion session, they will share their opinions and improvement ideas based on their experiences in the field, creating an opportunity to translate parents' voices into real policy proposals.

Notably, the significance of this event lies in incorporating the opinions of students and parents, who are the main stakeholders in school meal policies, into the policy decision-making process. As interest in the quality and safety of school meals rises, the event is expected to serve as a communication channel that gathers diverse field opinions and leads to policy improvements.

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education plans to review suggestions made during the event and actively reflect them in future school meal policies, as well as spread exemplary cases to schools. Through these efforts, the aim is to create a school meal environment that both schools and families can trust together.

Recently, the role of school meals has expanded beyond simply providing nutrition, now encompassing student health management and educational experiences. Attention is focused on whether this attempt by the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education to design policy together with parents will enhance trust in school meals and become a turning point for establishing a student-centered meal culture.

Seokjun Kim, Superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "School meals are not simply about providing one meal, but are an important educational activity that supports students' healthy growth and learning." He added, "I hope this Talk Concert will be a meaningful time for schools and parents to communicate and empathize together."

He went on to emphasize, "We will actively reflect field opinions to create safe and healthy school meals that students and parents can trust."

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education

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