2023-08-22 04:46:00
They will eat by sight! You read it correctly, it’s not a scam, it will be the case from Monday for 32,000 students. A will of the minister in charge of equal opportunities, Frédéric Daerden. Free meals for students from 14 schools in the province of Luxembourg.
Institutions of differentiated supervision win the jackpot for their families. It will make people envious.
In Athus, the new director Christine Depierreux of IMMA appreciates it: “The PO responded to a call for projects. It is to allow all children to eat at least one hot meal every day. This will concern about 440 children. We are very happy!”
After the free school material in 1st and 2nd primary, the Daerden firm releases 21 million €. “A fairly exceptional step forward since at the start of the legislature, €5 million was devoted to this equal opportunities policy. This start of the school year, 403 schools will be able to offer healthy and free meals to children in nursery and primary school”.
Attention, all come from schools with differentiated supervision (socio-economic index from 1 to 5). It was the requirement!
This obviously only concerns those schools with a less privileged public, but still 105 additional schools.
Bingo
For parents, it’s bingo, especially since the Wallonia-Brussels Federation will increase the subsidy granted to schools from €3.50 to €3.70 per meal and per student in order to take into account the increase in the cost of school. ‘food. Plus an intervention of 40 euros per student per year to finance the purchase of equipment or the payment of staff for meals.
Welfare state ?
The Minister takes a position: “My fierce desire is to remedy the inequalities of children in terms of food. More than 32,000 students will be able to benefit from free healthy and sustainable food. This represents a powerful lever to give each child, independently of his social situation, the same chances of success”.
The minister’s spokesperson, Xavier Gonzalez, announces a draft decree in order to perpetuate the initiative.
On social networks, the announcement by certain schools of their selection, sees pointing “wow” and “too good”! “Thanks” to PO volunteers, but some to regret “unfair competition”.
Enough to provoke debate, even questions. The belly rather than pedagogy? The argument should not invite too much to change schools, but could play in registration. To have.
List of 14 schools
– Communal school of Stockem-Arlon (€40,443)
– Lilas School, in Arlon (€31,651)
– Marie Médiatrice Athus Institute (IMMA), subsidized free basic school (€75,173)
– Marie Médiatrice Athus Institute (IMMA), subsidized free primary school (€75,173)
– Municipal elementary school of Aubange (€103,948)
– Royal Athenaeum of Marche-Barvaux-Bomal in Barvaux (€28,774)
– The Schools of ACIS ASBL, in Barvaux (€26,976)
– EFA WBE, in Bertrix (€114,296)
– Free subsidized basic school Institut Sainte-Marie, in Bouillon (€39,205)
– EFACF Enrico Macias, in Hotton (€33,450)
– Royal Athenaeum of Marche-Barvaux-Bomal in Barvaux (€17,984)
– Basic School annexed to the Royal Athenaeum Bouillon-Paliseul (€31,652)
– Muno municipal school (€10,431)
– Royal Athenaeum Marche-Barvaux-Bomal, location of Bomal (€19,063)
General total for the province of Luxembourg: €648,219
The belly or the pedagogy?
Xavier Gonzalez, you are the spokesperson for Minister Daerden, what is the objective of such free admission?
To be able to offer in schools with differentiated supervision and to the most disadvantaged the possibility of free meals, balanced for all, with a view to equal opportunities. This file evolved during the legislature. We started with 5 million euros, we are for this return to 21.5 million. This only concerned the nursery, now also the primary.
Is it the role of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to feed the children?
There are strong inequalities. It is the freedom of the school to respond to a call for projects, it is the freedom of the parents to involve the children. The public authority offers an alternative to reduce inequalities in the environment. This makes it possible to promote local sectors, organic, there is a social dimension.
You talk about social justice, what will the child in the school next door who does not benefit from it think?
This is one of the pitfalls, the risk of competition between establishments, but it is necessary to set a limit. This free only concerns differentiated supervision to target families with the most difficulty. There is a social aspect. It’s a primer. Why not eventually a school canteen service that would be broader?
Rather the belly than pedagogy? In the past, have students left a school to enroll in one where meals are free?
Quit no, but it can be a criterion to start in a school. It was one of the brakes of the organizing powers.
Children are hungry at school
Are there children who do not have enough to eat at school? “Yes I think so, the parents try not to see it too much. For some parents, it’s a problem”, observes the director of the municipal school of Aubange, Marie-Noële Agius Krelali.
Is this free meal a poisoned gift that could create jealousy? “We receive the subsidy only for the “Centre” location, the other locations could not claim it. As one of the locations does not have the right, I will have recriminations. Now, if parents want to come because the meals are free, they will be welcome.” The director is not afraid of remarks from fellow directors of other schools: “We had talked about it before, it was even one of my colleagues from a municipal school who had informed me of the call for projects.”
“Not enough in the lunch box”
Christine Mahy, what do you think of this decision?
At the level of the Walloon Network Against Poverty, we have always been in favor of free compulsory education, meals included. We are rather in favor of initiatives that tend in this direction. Now, sticking to calls for projects remains a problem. Who can respond to calls for projects? Schools where you have the energy to do it, equipment like kitchens. Good for those. This poses a problem for others. We are in favor of quality meals and for us, this means that they must be made on site, with quality local products. The subsidy should not go to large operators.
Do you have the impression that children are hungry at school?
Children are hungry at noon at school, it is not in all the schools, nor all the children, but in schools which bring together children with families with lower socio-economic indices, we have a higher proportion large number of children who arrive at school not necessarily having had lunch or a lot of things in the lunch box. All the operators say it, for 4, 5 years, we see children who do not have enough to eat. It’s not uncommon! And even in the province of Luxembourg.
Controls
Inequalities are marked on the plate. Meals must be free every day of the week, without any contribution from parents. The selection of projects tends towards an identical “network” distribution.
The winning schools sign a charter which promotes a healthy and balanced diet, where preference is given to using tap water, the discovery of various flavors, the consumption of seasonal fruits and vegetables, the preparations house, etc
A verification will be carried out by the Ecological Transition Department. It will be necessary to respect a qualitative side such as waste management, good use of funds.
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