School meals will be free for primary school children from poor-income households from September, and for all primary school children from 1 September 2027, according to a bill that got unanimous backing in parliament on Wednesday.
The bill that an NGO initially tabled with the support of voter signatures ended up being watered down as the group wanted all primary schoolers to benefit this year.
However, as the government received criticism for wanting to water down the bill even more initially, it tabled a last-minute amendment giving fully subsidised meals to children from families with a monthly income of under €433 per person from September.
The vote capped months of debates about the feasibility of such a scheme in many schools, some of which have made it clear that they have neither the staff nor the space to feed all children.
The Education Ministry has therefore developed a pilot project of a regional central school kitchen where many meals would be prepared for multiple schools.
While the legislation won bipartisan support, some centre-right opposition MPs said it should have gone further and ensured secondary school students also receive one free meal per day.
The 8th March Institute, which tabled the legislation, welcomed the vote saying that “public primary schools are one of the fundamental mechanisms of collective solidarity” and schools must be spaces where every child feels safe and accepted.
(Sebastijan R. Maček | sta.si)
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