A wave of indignation has taken over the educational community of Basic School No. 2562 San Lorenzo in General Resquín, San Pedro, after a theft left nearly 100 students without meals and without classes for two days. The crime occurred during the extended holiday and was discovered on the morning of this Monday, when the cooks found a broken window in the improvised cafeteria.
The thieves took all stored food, as well as cutlery, pots, blenders, coffee makers, and other essential items for the kitchen's operation. The school, which depends on the Hambre Cero program to provide lunch for the children, was unable to prepare meals. Classes were suspended on Monday and Tuesday, and it is expected that supplies provided by the contracted company will arrive only on Tuesday afternoon, normalizing activities on Wednesday.
More than the theft itself, what most outrages the parents is the extreme precariousness of the place used as a kitchen and cafeteria. It is a wooden structure nearly 40 years old, deteriorated and infested with termites, which was adapted by teachers and families due to the lack of adequate infrastructure for the program. “The students are the most affected. They need to study and also eat. This cannot happen because there is no safe kitchen,” lamented one of the parents.
The school community demands from district, departmental, and national authorities the urgent construction of a modern and safe kitchen-cafeteria, capable of storing food and ensuring dignified conditions for the students. Many families depend on school meals as the main meal of the day, and the incident exposes the neglect of various educational institutions in the interior of the country.