The nation's disadvantaged schoolchildren will soon receive subsidized breakfasts and dinners under a “no child left hungry” program to be launched by the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) said that the ministry expects to complete a survey on how many elementary and junior high school students need such subsidized meals within one month.
“It is estimated that the number should be smaller than the number of children who receive free school lunches because their families are in dire financial straits,” Wu said.
Unlike the free school lunches, subsidized breakfasts and dinners will be given as a form of emergency relief, Wu said, adding that they will be offered even on weekends and during summer and winter breaks.
According to the plan, the ministry will offer each eligible student a subsidy of NT$30 for breakfast and NT$60 for dinner. The ministry has yet to estimate how much the program will cost, but it is being planned in response to a Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) survey that found 1,400 students at 100 elementary schools in 11 remote villages and townships around Taiwan cannot afford breakfast or dinner.
“The ministry will ask teachers to check whether there are any students in their classes who cannot afford breakfast or dinner,” Wu said.
Eligible students will be offered meals or food vouchers to buy meals at convenience stores, breakfast shops or cafeterias, he added.
Funding for the program will come from the existing Jenai Fund and other education reserves, said Wu, adding that the ministry will also seek donations from the business community to help finance the program.
“One company has already offered to donate up to NT$100 million [US$3.1 million] over 10 years for the program, giving NT$10 million per year,” he added.
The ministry has also set up a hotline 080-909-5757 and is encouraging members of the public to comment on the “no child left hungry” program, Wu said.
CWLF chief executive Wang Yu-min (王育敏) said the foundation hopes the program will provide breakfast and dinner for up to 2,000 students.
However, the National Teachers’ Association (NTA) raised concerns over the scope of the program. If small children cannot afford breakfast or dinner, this is a serious problem that extends to the whole family, it said.
In this case, NTA president Liu Chin-hsu (劉欽旭) said assistance should be offered to the household, with social agencies, not school teachers, taking charge.
Liu said the MOE should not overreach by viewing all problems faced by students as school issues.
The MOE is responsible for education, while the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) should handle welfare matters, Liu said, adding that educational institutions should not play the role of social welfare service units.
Pointing out that the MOI already has criteria for the distribution of welfare benefits, Liu said the MOE should not seek to establish its own set of independent standards.
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