[Watch] Parents Panic As School Canteens Go Cashless: “How Will Our Kids Learn Math Now?”

Parents debate about children’s financial literacy as the digital payment revolution hits school canteens.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

Malaysian primary schools have been quietly going cashless for many years, with debit card readers becoming as common as lunch trays in canteens.

It’s a move that’s either brilliantly forward-thinking or educationally concerning (depending on who you ask).

Is this meant to convenience vendors and introduce students to cashless transactions early, or does it deprive children of practical mathematics opportunities?

Or is it the digital equivalent of giving a kid keys to a candy store, except now they can’t even see their money disappearing?

A TikTok video by user @shimaosmanmy has sparked a nationwide discussion about the pros and cons of kids wielding plastic at lunch.

Load RM50 to RM100 max, warns the concerned mother in her viral TikTok post, or otherwise, they’ll keep swiping until every sen is gone.

@shimaosmanmy SAYA PUN MENERIMA SEADANYA SEPERTI IBUBAPA LAIN TETAPI INGATKAN ANAK2 berhati2 #debitkad (Kalau boleh saya pun nak anak2 saya secara manual dengan “wang kertas & syiling” baru belajar cara mengira duit dengan betul bukan boros) TETAPI INGATKAN ANAK2 berhati2 #debitkad #backtoschool #sekolahrendah #sekolahmalaysia #selangor #kl #sisviral #momoftiktok #malaysiantiktok #tiktokviral #bankmalaysia ♬ Oh No – Kreepa

Four Reasons Why Going Cashless in Malaysian Schools Isn’t As Simple As 1-2-3

The new system comes with its own set of uniquely Malaysian problems:

Not all bank cards work with the canteen machines
Some banks won’t even issue cards to under-12s
Kids need to wear transparent ID holders in case they lose their cards
Parents are living in constant fear of their children’s cards being “borrowed” by mischievous classmates

Amna belanja member member kat kantin sekolah. Lagi sikit mak dia nak jadi hijau. Other parent advised just to topup kid’s debit card RM5 daily, but my anxiety ass is too anxious pic.twitter.com/ejJJJCqlRl
— ahyn (@azxhymn) June 15, 2023

Everything’s becoming too convenient, laments one social media user, echoing a sentiment shared by many.

Back in my day, we had to calculate change in our heads while a line of hungry kids waited behind us. That’s how you learn math!

Not What’s On The Plate, But How It’s Paid For

The mother who started the debate admits she’s reluctantly embracing the change while still yearning for simpler times:

If I had my way, they’d be counting notes and coins. But here we are, teaching 7-year-olds about contactless payments instead of multiplication tables.

Boleh tak kantin skolah pakai TnG aje? Senang sket. Tak pun debit card.

Penat aku nak pecahkan duit bagi ke anak.
— Hezeri Samsuri (@HezeriSamsuri) September 14, 2023

While Malaysia pushes forward with its digital payment revolution, it seems the real calculation these parents are struggling with is how to balance technological progress with traditional learning methods.

For now, they’re loading their kids’ debit cards with just enough money to buy lunch—not enough to forget its value.

Remember when the scariest thing about school lunch was whether they’d serve your least favourite vegetable?

Those days are starting to feel surprisingly simple in comparison.