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Zagreb - The Sabor on Friday unanimously voted for free meals for elementary school students as of the second semester of this school year which will cover 311,000 pupils who will have at least one free meal at school financed by the state budget and the total allocation for this purpose is € 72.5 million.
The parliament amended the Education in Primary and Secondary Schools Act, which makes these meals possible.
Meals for students, as before, will be co-financed and organised by the owners and founders of the schools in cooperation with the school. As of the second semester, schools will receive ten kuna from the state per pupil to ensure at least one free meal at school.
It will be a big step forward because, according to the Ministry of Science and Education data, in the last school year, only 30% of elementary school students had free meals, 20% were partially co-financed, and the rest were financed exclusively by their parents.
The Croatian association of primary school principals estimated that about 60% of schools are ready to provide free meals, while 40% do not have the conditions to do so. The worst situation is in Zagreb, where schools do not have the space to upgrade kitchens and canteens.
The ministry's State Secretary, Stipe Mamić, underscored that a kitchen is not the only prerequisite for meals at school and food deliveries can be outsourced, which some schools are already doing.