More than 100 years have passed since social reformer Margaret McMillan fought for free school meals in Britain. As a primary school inspector in Bradford, she had seen hunger render poor children unable to learn, robbing the promise that came with universal education. The landmark 1906 Education Act provided public funds for meals where children were “unable by reason of lack of food to take full advantage of the education provided”.
That phrase should be at the heart of the agenda for the UN’s Transforming Education summit scheduled for September. This is the world’s opportunity to tackle a hunger crisis jeopardising recovery from learning lost during Covid-19 school closures. Yet UN agencies, the World Bank, and governments shaping the summit have failed to grasp the nettle.
