A compelling forum letter by Droston Tang, published in The Straits Times on October 2, 2025, meticulously addresses the urgent need to support school canteen stallholders, whom he aptly describes as ‘vital community builders.’ Tang begins by illuminating the significant financial struggles faced by these operators, attributing their predicament to several key factors. Foremost among these are the inherently limited selling periods, confined strictly to school months and further disrupted by periods of home-based learning, which severely constrict their income streams.

Compounding this challenge, rising ingredient costs relentlessly erode their profit margins, often forcing many stallholders to undertake additional part-time jobs just to make ends meet. To counteract these challenges and ensure the sustainability of these cherished establishments, Tang proposes a multi-pronged, collaborative approach. He advocates for the implementation of bundled meal programmes integrated with school fees, a system that would allow stallholders to provide pre-ordered meals, thereby guaranteeing a more consistent and predictable income.

Secondly, Tang suggests establishing incentive systems, such as ‘Most Popular Canteen Stall’ awards, designed not only to recognize culinary excellence but also to encourage continuous quality improvements and innovation among operators. Perhaps his most innovative suggestion is the creation of a community fund, envisioned as a collective effort where schools and parents contribute a modest sum, perhaps just $1 monthly. This fund would serve two vital purposes: to finance the aforementioned incentive awards and, crucially, to provide basic insurance coverage for stallholders, offering a safety net akin to those found in the ride-hailing or food delivery sectors.

Tang concludes by emphasizing that the success of these initiatives hinges on a collaborative effort involving government agencies, parent support groups, and schools, underscoring his belief that these stallholders offer immense value to the school ecosystem, extending far beyond the meals they serve.

The Hidden Crisis in School Canteens: An In-Depth Analysis

Introduction: The Invisible Labor Force

Behind every bowl of noodles and plate of chicken rice served in Singapore’s school canteens stands a workforce that has quietly become one of the most financially vulnerable groups in the education ecosystem. Droston Tang’s forum letter reveals a reality that many Singaporean parents and educators may not fully appreciate: the uncles and aunties who feed our children daily are struggling to survive on what should be a sustainable business model.

The Structural Problem: Income Instability

The Calendar Gap

The fundamental issue facing school canteen operators is structural income instability built into their business model. Unlike commercial food establishments that operate year-round, school canteen stallholders face:

Limited Operating Days:

Approximately 200 school days per year (compared to 365 for commercial outlets)
School holidays: 11 weeks annually
Home-based learning days: Additional income disruptions
Weekend closures: Loss of 104 potential operating days

This means stallholders effectively lose 40-45% of potential operating days compared to commercial food businesses, yet many still face similar overhead costs including:

Rental or licensing fees (often fixed regardless of operating days)
Equipment maintenance and replacement
Food hygiene training and certification renewals
Transportation and storage costs

The Inflation Squeeze

Rising ingredient costs compound the calendar problem. Unlike commercial establishments that can:

Adjust prices more freely based on market conditions
Pass costs directly to consumers through dynamic pricing
Expand operating hours during peak demand

School canteen operators face price sensitivity constraints. Parents expect affordable meals, schools may impose price caps, and the student customer base has limited purchasing power. When chicken, rice, vegetables, and cooking oil prices increase, stallholders often absorb these costs rather than risk losing their young customers.

The Human Cost: Lives Behind the Counter

Tang’s observations from his work with Whizmeal paint a stark picture of survival strategies:

The Retired Couple: After serving students all day, the husband works night shifts while his wife manages household duties. This represents a 16-18 hour combined workday for a couple who should be enjoying retirement.

The Supplementary Worker: Another stallholder assistant sells fritters at shopping malls after school hours, fragmenting their work across multiple locations and employers without the security of either.

These aren’t isolated cases. They represent a pattern of economic desperation masked by familiar, smiling faces serving our children daily.

The Broader Impact: What We Stand to Lose

1. Institutional Knowledge and Culinary Diversity

School canteen operators often represent:

Traditional cooking methods and authentic recipes
Cultural food heritage passed through generations
Understanding of children’s nutritional needs through years of experience
Personal relationships with students, knowing their preferences and dietary restrictions

When these operators leave due to financial unsustainability, they’re replaced by:

Central kitchens producing standardized meals
Vending machines offering processed foods
Younger operators who may prioritize profitability over nutrition and relationships

2. Community and Social Capital

School canteens function as:

Informal mentorship spaces: Operators often provide advice, comfort, and even discipline to students
Cultural bridges: Exposing children to diverse cuisines and food traditions
Economic participation: Providing self-employment opportunities for older workers who may face age discrimination elsewhere
Social cohesion nodes: Creating shared memories and traditions that bind school communities

3. Food Security and Quality Control

Experienced operators provide:

Personalized attention to food preparation
Flexibility to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies
Quality control through pride of ownership
Responsiveness to feedback from students and parents

Central kitchens and automated solutions cannot replicate this level of personalized service.

Analyzing the Proposed Solutions

Solution 1: Bundled Meal Programmes

The Concept: Integrate meal costs into school fees, with pre-ordered meals providing guaranteed income.

Potential Benefits:

Income predictability: Stallholders receive guaranteed revenue regardless of daily sales fluctuations
Reduced food waste: Pre-ordering allows precise preparation quantities
Budget planning: Parents can spread meal costs across the year rather than daily cash transactions
Financial inclusion: Ensures all students access nutritious meals regardless of daily cash availability

Implementation Challenges:

Requires coordination between Ministry of Education, schools, and operators
May face resistance from parents who prefer choice and flexibility
Could reduce spontaneous customer choice
Administrative burden of managing pre-orders and dietary preferences
Risk of creating monopolistic conditions if poorly structured

Critical Success Factors:

Must maintain choice among multiple stallholders
Needs flexible opt-in/opt-out mechanisms
Requires robust feedback systems to ensure quality
Should include provisions for dietary restrictions and preferences

Solution 2: Incentive and Award Systems

The Concept: Recognition programmes like “Most Popular Canteen Stall” to drive quality improvements.

Potential Benefits:

Creates healthy competition among stallholders
Provides marketing and reputation benefits to winners
Encourages innovation and quality focus
Minimal financial investment required

Limitations:

Awards alone don’t address fundamental income instability
May create resentment among non-winners
Could incentivize popularity over nutrition
Risk of becoming meaningless if not tied to tangible benefits

Enhancement Opportunities:

Tie awards to procurement advantages or reduced fees
Offer professional development opportunities to winners
Create mentorship programmes where successful operators help struggling ones

Solution 3: Community Fund and Insurance

The Concept: Small monthly contributions ($1) from parents and schools to create safety nets.

Financial Modeling: If a school has 1,000 students:

Monthly collection: $1,000
Annual fund: $12,000
Across 5 canteen stalls: $2,400 per stall annually

Potential Applications:

Emergency income support during illness
Coverage for unexpected equipment replacement
Training and certification cost subsidies
Retirement or transition assistance

Benefits:

Distributes risk across the community
Creates collective ownership of canteen sustainability
Minimal per-family cost ($12 annually)
Builds social solidarity

Implementation Concerns:

Requires transparent fund management
May face resistance from parents questioning additional costs
Needs clear criteria for fund disbursement
Requires legal and regulatory framework

What’s Missing: Additional Considerations

1. Revenue Diversification

The proposal doesn’t address:

Extended operating hours: Could canteens open for community events or weekend activities?
Catering services: Could stallholders cater school events, parent meetings, or external functions?
Holiday programmes: When schools run holiday activities, could canteens operate?
Teacher and staff meals: Guaranteed additional customer base beyond students

2. Regulatory and Licensing Reform

Current structures may need examination:

Are licensing fees proportionate to actual operating days?
Could license terms be restructured to reflect seasonal operations?
Are there excessive regulatory burdens that could be streamlined?

3. Skills Development and Modernization

Supporting operators with:

Digital payment systems to reduce cash handling
Basic business management training
Nutritional education to meet evolving health standards
Technology adoption for inventory and ordering

4. Succession Planning

Many operators are aging. The ecosystem needs:

Mentorship programmes pairing experienced operators with younger workers
Incentives for younger entrepreneurs to enter school canteens
Knowledge transfer mechanisms before experienced operators retire
Clear pathways for career development in school food service

Comparative Perspectives: International Models

Japan: School Lunch Programme

Centrally prepared nutritious meals
Food education (shokuiku) integrated into curriculum
Students serve and clean, learning responsibility
Limitation: Less vendor diversity and entrepreneurship

Finland: Subsidized School Meals

Free nutritious lunches for all students
Government-funded, professionally prepared
Limitation: High taxpayer cost, less family involvement

United States: National School Lunch Program

Federal subsidies for low-income students
Mix of central kitchens and contracted vendors
Limitation: Quality concerns, highly processed foods

Singapore’s model of independent stallholders is relatively unique and worth preserving, but requires structural support to remain viable.

The Broader Economic Context

Aging Workforce Challenge

School canteen operators often represent:

Workers aged 50-70 who face employment discrimination elsewhere
Individuals with limited formal education but strong practical skills
People who value community contribution over maximum profit
Workers who need flexible self-employment due to caregiving responsibilities

Losing these operators to financial unsustainability has ripple effects:

Increased social welfare costs
Loss of productive economic participation
Reduced intergenerational knowledge transfer
Weakened community social fabric

The Gig Economy Parallel

Tang astutely compares school canteen work to ride-hailing and food delivery:

Similar income volatility
Lack of employment benefits
Safety net gaps
Need for innovative insurance models

However, school canteen operators lack even the platform support that gig workers receive. They’re isolated entrepreneurs without the technology infrastructure, customer base access, or brand recognition that platforms provide.

Implementation Roadmap: A Phased Approach

Phase 1: Pilot Programmes (Year 1)

Select 5-10 schools across different profiles (size, location, demographic)
Implement bundled meal programme with opt-in participation
Establish community funds with transparent governance
Collect baseline data on stallholder income, operating costs, and satisfaction

Phase 2: Refinement (Year 2)

Analyze pilot data and adjust models
Address implementation challenges identified
Expand successful elements
Build case studies and best practices

Phase 3: Scaling (Years 3-5)

Roll out proven models across willing schools
Develop standardized toolkit for implementation
Create support network for participating schools and stallholders
Integrate learnings into policy frameworks

Phase 4: Sustainability (Ongoing)

Regular review and adaptation
Continuous improvement based on feedback
Long-term financial planning for fund sustainability
Evaluation of social and economic impacts

Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators

Any intervention should track:

Financial Metrics:

Average stallholder monthly income
Income stability (reduction in month-to-month variance)
Percentage of stallholders requiring supplementary employment
Fund utilization and sustainability

Operational Metrics:

Stallholder retention rates
Applications for new canteen licenses
Average operating tenure of stallholders
Food waste reduction

Quality Metrics:

Student satisfaction scores
Nutritional quality assessments
Food safety compliance rates
Menu diversity indices

Social Impact Metrics:

Community fund participation rates
Parent and student engagement levels
Intergenerational knowledge transfer (new operators trained by experienced ones)
Stallholder reported well-being and job satisfaction

The Stakeholder Ecosystem: Roles and Responsibilities

Government (MOE, HPB, NEA)

Policy framework and regulatory support
Potential subsidies or tax incentives
Food safety and nutrition oversight
Data collection and impact assessment

Schools

Implementation of bundled meal programmes
Community fund administration
Feedback mechanisms and quality monitoring
Integration of food education into curriculum

Parents

Financial participation through community funds
Feedback and quality monitoring
Advocacy for stallholder welfare
Education of children about food value and appreciation

Stallholders

Quality and service standards maintenance
Openness to feedback and innovation
Transparent business practices
Mentorship of new entrants

Community Organizations

Coordination and advocacy
Best practice sharing
Training and support services
Bridge between stakeholders

Critical Questions for Consideration

Financial Sustainability:

Is a $1 monthly contribution sufficient, or should it be means-tested and progressive?
Should government match community fund contributions?
How do we ensure the model works across schools of different sizes and demographics?

Equity Concerns:

How do we prevent bundled meal programmes from reducing choice for families?
What happens to stallholders if parents opt out en masse?
How do we balance guaranteed income with maintaining competitive quality?

Quality Control:

Who monitors whether stallholders maintain standards once income is guaranteed?
How do we handle underperforming stallholders without destroying their livelihoods?
What recourse do students and parents have if meal quality declines?

Scalability:

Can this model work in larger schools (1,500+ students) as effectively as smaller ones?
How do we adapt the model for different school types (primary, secondary, international)?
What about schools in different socioeconomic areas?

Conclusion: A Test of Social Values

Droston Tang’s final statement captures the essence of the issue: “True Singaporean strength isn’t measured solely by achievement but by how we lift one another up, especially those who quietly nourish our future generations.”

The school canteen crisis is ultimately a values question disguised as an economic problem. Singapore must decide:

Do we value:

Efficiency over human connection?
Standardization over diversity?
Cost minimization over community sustainability?
Short-term savings over long-term social capital?

The proposed solutions—bundled meal programmes, community funds, and incentive systems—represent more than financial mechanisms. They embody a philosophy of collective responsibility and recognition that some services are too important to be governed purely by market forces.

School canteen stallholders nourish our children in ways that transcend nutrition. They provide:

Daily stability and familiar faces
Cultural education through food
Economic participation for older workers
Community cohesion across generations
Living examples of service and dedication

Allowing this system to collapse due to structural financial unsustainability would be penny-wise and pound-foolish. The cost of intervention—whether through bundled meals, community funds, or other creative solutions—pales in comparison to the social value these individuals provide.

The question isn’t whether Singapore can afford to support school canteen stallholders. The question is whether Singapore can afford not to.

As Tang suggests, this requires co-creation among government agencies, schools, parents, and stallholders themselves. No single stakeholder can solve this alone, but together, they can build a sustainable model that honors both fiscal responsibility and human dignity.

The school canteen crisis is a mirror reflecting Singapore’s social priorities. How the nation responds will reveal what kind of society it aspires to be—one that discards those who serve when they become economically inconvenient, or one that innovates to ensure everyone who contributes to the community can do so with dignity and sustainability.

The uncles and aunties behind the canteen counter are watching. So are our children, learning not just what to eat, but what we value.

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