A letter to the principal opposing the school’s plan to ban students from having lunch in classroom because many of them put their lunch boxes, drinks and other leftovers in the rubbish bin in their classroom.
Dear Ms. Young,
I am writing to share my and my fellow schoolmates’ views on the decision of the school to ban students from having lunch in their classrooms. I understand the fact that students have been putting their lunch boxes, drink cans and other leftovers in their classroom and have subsequently created hygiene problem in a number of classrooms. There is no doubt that classrooms should always be kept clean and tidy to provide a favorable environment for students to study in. Uneaten food, which attracts flies, cockroaches and other disease-inducing organisms, should never be disposed of in the rubbish bin in the classrooms. Imposing the ban might be a desirable action in order to get immediate effects, but it might not be the best remedy because this action could bring about undesirable side effects to both the school and students. I would like to offer you three reasons why most students are against the new policy and why there could be a better solution. I hope the school would reconsider the alternative methods to tackle the problem in the light of these grounds.
Forbidding students to stay in classrooms for lunch could be costly. Since there are far too few seats at the tuck shop to accommodate all students, the school would need to expand its capacity or even construct a new canteen for students. Otherwise, many students would be forced to have lunch outside our school. Reconstruction and renovation creates extra financial burden to the school. Furthermore, there is actually not enough space in the school to build a canteen which could accommodate 500 students. This figure is estimated according to a survey on students’ eating habits at school conducted by the Student’s Association last month, which reveals that 50% of interviewees would like to have lunch in their classrooms. If the new canteen is still too small to cater for our students, our schoolmates would need to wait for longer time to find an empty seat, or go to nearby restaurant for lunch. Students would inevitably spend more time on satisfying their stomach. This is not good news because pupils will have less time to read and study during the lunch period. ‘I always treasure the remaining time after finishing my lunch, reading newspapers or preparing for the next lesson. Time is money,’ said one S.3 student in the interview.
Another concern of students is the necessity of the ban. A few days ago one S.1 student came to the Students’ Association Office and told me that her class had never put any food-stuff in the rubbish bin in the classroom. She said she and her classmates always obey the school rules and she didn’t understand why the school decided to prohibit all students from eating in their classrooms. She also claimed that she had seen some higher form students violating the rules. Later on the same day I discussed the issue with Peter Cheung, the Head Prefect. He admitted that lower form students, especially S.1 students, seldom disobey the classroom regulations. Their problem was mild. It was the S.4 and S.6 students who often ignored the regulations and made their classrooms dirty. In fact, the ban might not be convincing in some students’ eyes. I am worried that obedient students would be discouraged from behaving well and what’s more, the image of the school could be tarnished. Instead of going too strict, many students and I see the possibility of taking a moderate type of action to combat the problem.
I fully understand that the school hopes to stop the inconsiderate behavior of students as soon as possible. Yet, the school is also a place where students are educated to be moral. By banning students from eating in the classrooms, the wrongdoers could learn nothing about their mistakes. If they cannot leave their lunch boxes in the classrooms, they might leave them at the dining tables at the tuck shop or even on the floor. What they need is actually education. Although education is not a one-step process, it takes time and it has long-lasting effects on students. It ensures that students behave well not because of the penalty, but the moral values which have taken roots in their hearts.
For your consideration and reference, I would like to propose an alternative way to turn around the situation. In the short term, the school prefects could perform more frequent inspections to deter students from breaking the rules. In the long term, the school could provide more lessons on civic education during assemblies. The school will save a lot of money and trouble if a better way is adopted. Therefore, I sincerely ask for your kind reconsideration for the new policy to keep the school clean.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Wong
Chris Wong
President, Students’ Association