Ahead of the new academic year in Catalonia, the topic of providing free meals to schoolchildren has once again come to the forefront. The organization Educo has pointed out that a significant number of children in financially difficult situations will be unable to count on support in the form of free lunches.
According to Educo, about 360,000 minors in the region live below the poverty line. This is nearly 35% of all children in Catalonia. However, only a little over 213,000 students received assistance with paying for school lunches last academic year. A total of 210 million euros was allocated for this purpose, and this amount is gradually increasing—a trend the organization views positively. Most of the subsidies covered the full cost of meals, while some covered 70% of the expenses.
At the same time, more than 146,000 children, mainly kindergarten and secondary school students, were left without such support. Educo notes that after many schools switched to a shortened school day, cafeterias in secondary institutions were closed, and in kindergartens, the issue of meals falls under the responsibility of municipalities, where the coverage rate remains low.
The organization stresses that to expand the program to all secondary school students, the current budget would need to be doubled. As a solution, they propose reopening cafeterias in secondary institutions, as has already been implemented in Barcelona, where all secondary education institutions have operational cafeterias.
Educo advocates for the introduction of free meals for all students, regardless of their level of education. According to the organization’s estimates, implementing this initiative would require €1.33 billion annually. Educo representatives believe that meals should be an integral part of the educational process and access to them should be guaranteed for everyone.
The issue of free lunches has already been included in the political agreements signed last year by leaders of PSC and Comuns. Educo also highlights the rising cost of school lunches: this academic year, most families will pay €7.54 per day, which is 4% higher than the previous year. Catalonia remains the region with the highest school meal prices across Spain.
