School meal funds hike ‘not enough’

A DOUBLING of funding for school meals is not enough to meet childrens’ needs in poorer areas, according to the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP).

The increase of €2 million for free school meals projects was announced by Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Coughlan yesterday.

Thousands more pupils will benefit from the programme, which already provides meals to around 60,000 children in almost 400 primary schools.

The 4m annual funding will be provided equally by Ms Coughlan’s department and local authorities operating the scheme.

The funds hike will also extend school meals to second level students, with schools in disadvantaged areas to be prioritised.

The SVP welcomed the extra funding, but said much more investment would be needed to give children a better chance at staying in school.

“We would be delighted with any extra funding being spent but it isn’t going to be enough. Sadly, the level of need out there is a lot more than this money will satisfy,” said SVP vice-president (social policy) John Monaghan.

“It is good that rural areas will also be included because there are often a lot more isolated cases in schools outside urban areas, where initiatives to help disadvantage are not as widespread.”

A SVP report published last month highlighted the financial burden on thousands of families trying to send their children to school properly fed or clothed.

It also pointed to the danger of children from these families leaving school early to get work and supplement the low household income.

Ms Coughlan said the first pilot projects will begin in September, initially targetting children with the worst level of disadvantage.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation said the move was welcome because poor diet is strongly linked to problems of tiredness and aggression and proper nutrition would help them concentrate and learn more effectively.