The House of Representatives welcomed the allocation of 100 million euros for the distribution of free lunches to schools in low-income neighborhoods.
Discussions on the 2023 Financial Budget plan announced by the government continue. During the meeting held on Thursday, the Volt party and the D66’s bill that would allow free lunches in schools were discussed. The bill was initially welcomed by the parliament.
Volt and D66; In the bill prepared to prevent children from going to school hungry , especially in neighborhoods where vulnerable low-income families live, it states that an additional budget of 100 million euros can be allocated from the Ministry of Education’s budget for the application to work.
The bill submitted jointly by the two parties seems to have already received the approval of the House of Representatives. D66 Group President Jan Paternotte said: “ There are children in the Netherlands who will be brought to school tomorrow without food. It is not right to go to class on an empty stomach. Nothing should stand in the way of children’s development.
Volt party President Laurens Dassen said that this budget to be allocated is an “important first step”, but that it does not end there. “Because we finally want all children to go to school on a full stomach,” Dassen said. said.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte described the bill as a “sympathetic proposal” and said the cabinet would work on it.
The first signals began to come before summer
Hans Spekman, the Youth Education Fund official, made a statement to the press and stated that since the beginning of this summer, they have started to help children with basic needs such as books and supplies, as well as adequate food and drink.
Speaking to Nu.nl, Spekman stated that they have a budget of 5.5 million euros for this year, but 700,000 euros more than the budget was spent in aiding children in the summer months.
“One in four kids can’t get enough breakfast.” Stating that the problem has become an acute problem, Spekman pointed out that there are children who do not have a normal bed to sleep or who have not yet received toilet training but have to manage without diapers.
Youth Education Fund officials state that before the summer, there was a change in this area and more and more schools were applying for the fund. Currently, 445 primary schools are connected to the fund, but around 1800 schools across the Netherlands are thought to be in a position to receive funding.
A funded school can, for example, ask for 10,000 euros to spend on extra transport, books or tutoring. The fund states that there is almost no money left for this at the moment because the fund can only accept applications for basic needs.