No state subsidies for school meals in sight
Representatives of several state parliamentary groups have dampened hopes of subsidies from the state for school meals. Even if the Free State were to subsidize just one euro per portion for Thuringian primary school pupils, the state budget would still face an annual burden of 14 million euros, said Astrid Rothe-Beinlich, education policy spokesperson for the Green Party parliamentary group in the state parliament, at a panel discussion held by the Thuringia Consumer Advice Centre in Erfurt on Thursday.
It is even less likely that the state will fully finance a hot lunch per pupil per day, despite demands from the state parents' association, for example. Such a subsidy would cost 90 to 100 million euros a year for Thuringia alone, said Left Party education politician Torsten Wolf. "Where to get it from, quite honestly, I can't think of too much."
According to calculations by the consumer advice center, it would cost around 70 million euros per year if the state were to completely cover the lunch money for all children who currently eat their lunch in schools in the state. The consumer advice center is home to the so-called "Vernetzungsstelle Schulverpflegung", which has been working for years on how to improve the quality of school meals in Thuringia and keep them affordable.
According to the networking center, prices for school meals have risen significantly as a result of more expensive food and increased energy costs, among other things. The current price level is around four euros per portion. Two years ago, the comparable price was 3.50 euros. Prices are expected to rise even further. "There is no end in sight," said the managing director of the consumer advice center, Ralph Walther.
State parents' spokesperson Claudia Koch reiterated the demand for free school meals for children: "I want free school meals, I want healthy school meals, I want regional school meals." However, she was aware that it would not be possible to implement free school meals in the near future. In the short term, therefore, the VAT on school meals should at least be abolished.
CDU member of state parliament Stefan Schard and FDP member of parliament Franziska Baum, on the other hand, spoke out against the idea of making school meals completely free of charge for families. They argued that if something is completely free of charge, many adults and also children and young people will not be sufficiently aware that work and money have been invested in its production. This is why parents in Germany - unlike in other European countries - should continue to contribute to the financing of school meals in the long term. However, state subsidies are conceivable in principle, even if it is currently unclear how these could be financed, they both explained. Not all political wishes could be paid for, said Schard.
Despite the constant increase in food and energy costs, some advocates still push for fully funded hot lunches for all primary school pupils, which would cost around 90 to 100 million euros annually for Thuringia alone. However, as Astrid Rothe-Beinlich pointed out, even a modest one-euro subsidy per portion could burden the state budget with 14 million euros annually.
Source: www.dpa.com
