All children should receive one free hot meal at school every day, a new study has proposed.
Access to these meals should be in place for all schools by 2030, according to a report by RSM Ireland. The research went on to say that schoolchildren in every primary school should have free hot meals provided from this September.
The study also stated that the rates for the School Meals Programme should be increased. The recommendations have been backed by Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, RTE reports.
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The current Schools Meals Programme that is in place for 1,600 schools in Ireland has helped improve attendance, behaviour management, and concentration in class, according to the research. Additionally, parents said it helped improve children's attitudes towards food as well as better concentration and health.
Currently, only 500 disadvantaged primary schools of the 1,600 participating schools provide cooked hot school meals. It is hoped this number will double if Minister Humphreys' plans to include all disadvantaged and special schools goes ahead.
It is expected that the scheme will be rolled out to all remaining primary schools on a phased basis starting next year. She is also likely to announce an increased rate of payment to suppliers of school meals, to be backdated to 1 January.
Schools or suppliers currently get 60c per breakfast per child. Breakfast usually consisted of cereal or a slice of wholemeal bread with fruit and milk or yoghurt.
A cold lunch is €1.40 and includes a sandwich and hot drink while each hot school meal costs €2.90. The new increased rates will result in a 15c increase for breakfast bringing it up to 75c.
Furthermore, lunch will see a 30c increase to €1.70, and a 60c increase for dinner, from €1.90 to €2.50. A 30c increase in the hot meal allowance will see it rise to €3.20.
The report said that most participants were not satisfied with the spaces available for preparing, cooking, heating, or eating food. It said: "Facilities that might improve the delivery of the programme include kitchens, meal heating facilities and waste facilities.
"The consensus was that if the School Meals Programme is to be expanded in scope, the first priority should be designated eating facilities for students as part of any planned school extensions, followed by ensuring that there was canteen space in any new builds."
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