Japanese School Lunch Seen by Mongolian School Principals

Mongolia, school lunch system has newly introduced, is making great efforts in order to provide nutritionally balanced "school lunch" in all primary schools. 12 Mongolian participants came to Japan to learn “school lunch management”, who are counterparts of “Project for Supporting the Implementation of School Lunch Services”, which JICA launched in 2021.
We will deliver their voices through the interview. ”Nutrition for Children's Futures”━━What did the Mongolian participants learn from Japan and Japanese school lunch system?

Q1. Please tell us about your first impressions of Japan, as well as your Expectations for KCCP.

A1: “This is my first visit to Japan, and as I had heard beforehand, I was very impressed by the way Japanese people plan and execute their works in their respective positions.” , says Ms.Tsendsuren from Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia.

“For example, people do not carelessly throw garbage, and there is no garbage or rainwater in the streets. The cleanliness of the city is maintained through proper cleaning and drainage.

On the train platforms, people are disciplined, orderly, and considerate for others. I was surprised at the contrast between Japan and Mongolia, where people live freely and openly in a vast land. It is very valuable and impressive to be able to see Japan and the Japanese people through my own eyes. “

“In Mongolia, the school lunch law was enacted in 2019, and school lunch started its provisions from 2020. The biggest challenge is how to provide nutritionally balanced lunch within a limited budget. In this program, participants from various positions from governmental to school sites of Mongolia are getting together. We, therefore, would like to make best use of the various knowledge, or lessons learned from Japan, and apply them to Mongolian School lunch system as a team.”

Q3. I heard that Mongolia has newly introduced school lunch services. What is the current situation? Also, let us know your challenges.

A3. “We still have difficulties to provide nutritionally balanced "school lunches" within a limited budget. On the other hand, we also feel positive effects from the introduction of the school lunch program.” says Mr. Batsaikhan, Principal of XX school. “For example, our school posts photos of school lunches on our website, which leads to an opportunity to think about food not only for children but also for their parents and guardians. Parents started to think more about nutritional balance on dairy meals, adding more vegetables to “Tsuivan”(traditional grilled noodles with meat and vegetable).”

A4. “From the results of the dietary survey conducted as part of JICA's project activities, it was found that the children were significantly deficient in calcium intake compared to the Mongolian dietary reference.”, says Mr. Enkhbayar, Principal, Mandal School

“For this reason, the school decided to add milk to school lunches. Although we struggled to gain the understanding of parents regarding this additional charge, the number of parents who understand gradually increased. We are able to obtain the understanding and cooperation of all parents now.

The purpose of Japan's school lunch is not only to ensure nutritional balance, but also to acquire correct knowledge about food and desirable eating habits, such as inheriting food culture, utilizing local products, understanding the region, and eating manners etc. I was impressed by how school lunch leads to learning throughout school education. I would like to make best use of these lessons learned in Japan into school lunch management in Mongolia.”

In the second half of the KCCP program, the participants moved to Niigata Prefecture and visited University of Niigata Prefecture, Niigata City Board of Education, health centers in Niigata City, school lunch centers, and elementary schools to learn actual school lunch operations through lectures and on-site visits. In paricular, the moment when, the Mongolian participants were warmly welcomed by all the children on their arrival at Momoyama Elementary School was unforgettable sweet memories for both sides.

On the last day of the KCCP program, the participants elaborated to make "Action Plan" as a team and presented. The calculation of the intake standards according to the actual conditions of children, menu planning and monitoring of nutritional status including leftover food surveys, improvement of work process charts and workflow lines to ensure thorough hygiene management, menu planning on a monthly basis, cost reduction measures, and nutritional guidance were well considered in their action plan in line with the actual situation in Mongolia.

We sincerely wish the development of Mongolian school lunch programs in the near future!

*The Mongolian government enacted the School Lunch Law in May 2019 and enforced it in September 2020, which stipulates that "facilities, equipment, and human resources shall be appropriately developed and deployed in accordance with standards and technical regulations in order to provide school lunch to all elementary schools." JICA will continue to develop activities together with the above participants through the “JICA Project for Supporting the Implementation of School Lunch Services”.

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