High School Students Should be Allowed to go Off-Campus for Lunch

By Hazel Wong

How often do you imagine yourself being in the shoes of the mighty DP students permitted to go off-campus to acquire mouth-watering meals?

For many RCHK students, this is a privilege that can only be earned after putting up with years upon years of unappetizing school lunches. In all honesty, no one looks forward to the chaotic 45 minutes of unruly children running around while screaming at the top of their lungs, or getting shoved around in the crowded cafeteria by obnoxious queue jumpers.

According to a study ons students’ eating arrangements conducted by the Hong Kong Youth Research Centre, 42 out of the 44 Secondary schools they investigated allowed Form 1 to Form 5 students the opportunity to eat off-campus for lunch. Permitting students to go off-campus for lunch is not only a common practice for Secondary schools in Hong Kong, but it also fulfills student desires as well as providing numerous benefits for both students and staff members. (The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, 1996)

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the system behind off-campus lunches at RCHK, I decided to interview a DP student about the procedures they are required to follow before being allowed to leave school. The following is the student’s response: “DP students are allowed to leave school anytime during break, lunch, or their free periods. To leave school, you just tap your Student ID card on their sensor at the security table when you leave school (from the MTR gate exit), and when you return back to school, you tap your card on the sensor again.”

Lunch breaks are generally seen by students as a time to unwind, interact with peers, take a breather from schoolwork, and ultimately, enjoy some good food.

It’s fairly common for students to feel stressed and overwhelmed during school hours, so by just being given the chance to leave campus and interact with external environments, students can clear their minds and return to class with a boost of energy. This simple change in scenery enables students to improve their mindsets, behaviour, and academic performance. In addition, students who arebeing allowed to go off campus will likely feel refreshed, showing boosts in their mood, and contributing to positive class experiences. Of the 54 schools surveyed in the study above, 78.8% agreed that the workload of teachers would increase when students had lunch at school. This demonstrates that off-campus lunches will not only benefit students, but they will also lighten the load on teachers.

Another significant reason why students should be allowed to go off-campus for lunch is due to the insufficient eating areas at our school. Many students are forced to eat in classrooms, outside hubs, and even off the ground. In consequence, cutlery and litter end up being left in areas all over the school where they probably shouldn’t, thus increasing the workload of our hardworking Blue Team and causing damage to the environment. As far as I’m aware, this is a problem that our school continues to battle. (Hunter, 2024)

Moreover, statistics from the same study above on students’ eating arrangements indicate dissatisfaction with canteen food amongst consumers. It can be seen that Secondary students gave low ratings for the food served in their school canteens, with the food choices and quality of food being rated at 2.5/5 or below. This is similar to the views of RCHK students, where individuals have repeatedly shown liking to external food vendors and their flavourful dishes, rather than the meals from our school cafeteria.

While there may be concerns for the safety of students when encountering strangers or crossing streets, it can be argued that students are mature enough to understand the dangers of society and the environment. Off-campus lunches will set students up for success in the future as they imitate an adult’s responsibility for their own food. If younger students aren’t trusted with the opportunity to manage their own meals, they will struggle with this as they get older. Additionally, it should be noted that the paths leading to popular nearby food spots such as Heng On Market, Ma On Shan Plaza, and MOS Town won’t have students encountering any streets that need to be crossed, eliminating the worry for road safety.

Heng On Market Food Garden: A highly popular food spot for RCHK students (Wpcpey, 2020)

On top of this, the nutritional value and cost of meals from external food vendors are also two large issues that need to be taken into consideration. School caterers have to follow specific guidelines to ensure students are eating the most nutritious and safe foods. Yet, external food vendors aren’t required to follow these specific guidelines. This may give rise to students’ unhealthy eating habits and may lead to a decline in health at an early age. Moreover, in order for students to have sufficient energy for the rest of the day, they are pressured to purchase various dishes from food stalls, which will surely put a dent in the wallets of many students. However, secondary students are mature enough to spend their money wisely. Similar to school lunch arrangements, they can choose cheaper options when eating out. Obviously, students aren’t forced to eat out and can always choose to stay at school for lunch. Along with this, secondary students are expected to make responsible choices for their own diet. As valued individuals in society, students are trusted to make good decisions as to what they want to put into their own bodies.

Furthermore, a student council representative noted that it would be unfair for our current school caterer if large numbers of students were given the opportunity to purchase their food elsewhere. Our school works closely with Sodexo to ensure students are provided with the proper nutrition they need, and it isn’t a good look for both sides if there is a low student turnout. Along with losing valuable customers, Sodexo would also generate much less money. Hence, after considering all aspects of off-campus lunches as well as all the relevant parties involved, our school should strongly consider integrating off-campus lunches for high school students starting from Year 10 and above. If other schools allow students to eat out for lunch, why can’t RCHK too?