National Education Minister Mahmut Özer stated on Tuesday that the ministry has completed the preparations for the implementation of a free meals program that will gradually encompass 5 million students in Türkiye, as of Feb. 6, when the second semester of the 2022-2023 academic year commences.
Özer, who emphasized that the ministry continues to support students with social policies to increase their access to education, noted that they accelerated the work after the recommendation on "providing free lunch or nutritional support in schools" was convened at the 20th National Education Council in December 2021.
Noting that practices of providing free meals support for the board schools students have been in place since the 1980s, the minister noted that the scope of free meal services in hostels expanded in the last 20 years, while ''the number of students benefiting from free lunch, which stood at 1.5 million at the beginning of the academic year, has been increased to 1.8 million at the moment.''
''Now, we will work to expand this number to 5 million as of the second half of the academic year. Thus, we will have taken another concrete step in increasing equal opportunities in the educational sector," he said.
Emphasizing the importance of the free meal program, Özer said that they have focused on increasing access to preschool education in the past year and that they will start the program with a particular focus on these schools. Stating that they plan on increasing the meal implementation program gradually, the minister highlighted they have circulated the "Meal/Nutrition and Distribution Guide," which includes the procedures and principles of the free meal scheme, to the country's 81 provinces for implementation.
''In this context, as of Feb. 6, we will be providing up to 1.45 million of our children at all preschool education institutions with one meal a day, five days a week,'' Özer noted.
He also pointed out that the students who attend primary schools combined with nursery classes will also benefit from daily nutrition services, besides secondary school students in regional boarding institutions. ''In other schools, preparations will be completed and nutrition services will be started as soon as possible,'' the minister added.
Özer also said the ministry has allocated the ''necessary budget'' for the relevant preschools and kindergartens that prepare food and meals in their kitchens.
He explained that the "Meal/Nutrition Preparation and Distribution Guide" prepared by the ministry includes detailed nutrition service processes that will be conducted in schools. These processes include menu management, inspection processes (food safety and hygiene practices), storage and supply, production (preparation and cooking), dial/nutrition distribution and after-service processes.
The minister, who underlined the importance of meeting the daily energy and nutrient needs of students with balanced meals, said the process of diet preparation has been in accordance with the relevant programs of the Ministry of Health.
''Sample menus were prepared for preschool educational institutions by the Ministry and sent to the provinces. The school, which will decide its own menu(s), will receive dietitians' support from provincial and district public health centers. In addition, the weekly nutrition list, which will be prepared at schools with the support of a dietitian, will be published on the school's website," said Özer.
During the planning, preparation and implementation of the process in schools, special attention will be paid to cleanliness and hygiene, while schools will have to obtain permission documents from the parents of the students who will be given free nutrition support.
The Ministry of National Education requested that all required measures be taken by the governorships for the healthy and trouble-free implementation of the free meal program.