Lunches in school canteens can become more expensive by up to 20 percent
The price of school lunches is determined by a decree of the Ministry of Education (MŠMT), which was last updated in the first year. Since then, not only the prices of raw materials, but also of energy, have risen rapidly. Therefore, the Ministry of Education decided that the decree decided again from this February.
“The proposal responds to the unusually high rise in food prices. The financial limits were last amended from September 2021. We want the children in the canteens to be well and of good quality. We want schools to have more space to reflect what is happening on the market with food prices and thus maintain high-quality school meals. An increased upper limit is an option, not an obligation,” states the name of the education and youth section Jan Mareš.
The current limits set the ceiling for lunch for diners over 15 years old at 45 crowns, from February 1 it will be 54 crowns. The maximum price of lunch for pupils between the ages of seven and ten will be against the current 39 crowns eight crowns higher. Children aged 11 to 14 will pay a maximum of 50 crowns for lunch instead of the current highest price of 41 crowns, and children under six will pay 36 crowns, i.e. six crowns more than now.
Vinohrady and Žižkov are not planning to raise prices
The majority of primary schools in Prague are not planning to increase their prices to the maximum possible, and some have already started raising prices slightly at the beginning of the school year, i.e. in September. They are not planning any further increases. “TO a slight increase in the price of lunches in schools established in Prague 2 urban districts already occurred in September 2022. At the moment, we do not have any information that the schools are planning to raise prices further,” Prague 2 spokeswoman Andrea Zoulová told Blesk.
The situation is similar in neighboring Prague 3.Schools have not yet announced that they would like to raise lunch prices, but I will see how the situation will be when the amendment to the decree you mention comes in February. By how much the price of lunches would increase, of course, would depend on the food, the food,” Prague 3 spokeswoman Michaela Luňáčková told Blesk.
They are not yet planning to raise prices in Prague 9 either. However, it cannot be ruled out in the futureespecially if there is a further increase in food and energy prices,” Tomáš Portlík (ODS), mayor of Prague 9, told Blesk.
Prices will rise in Prague 4 or 12
However, a slight price increase is planned in Prague 12 or Prague 4.We assume that our schools have a higher lunch price by a few crownsbut at the moment the calculations are still underway, so we don’t know the final situation yet,” informed the spokesperson of Prague 12, Petra Svobodová.
“Kindergartens and primary schools established by the Prague 4 Municipality are planning to increase or have already increased the prices of meals, mainly with regard to the increase in food prices. Some schools increased prices as of September 1, 2022, some as of January 1, 2023. The next adjustment is planned after the approval of the amendment to the ordinance on school meals, when it is assumed that there will be a change to its annex No. 2 Financial limits for the purchase of food. Schools increased their prices by CZK 2 to CZK 4. Except for one school, they did not use the possibility of a ceiling on the financial limit,” said Prague 4 spokesman Jan Hannich.
Both the foundation and the town hall will help low-income families
Constant price increases can complicate the financial situation, especially for low-income families. However, they can contact the school management directly, who can provide them with the necessary help in this regard. For example, the management of Prague 6 decided to pay for children’s lunches for the first two months of the new year. “Families from Prague 6 who feel they are in an uncomfortable economic situation have the opportunity to request a waiver of payment for school lunches for their children. In that case, we, as a city district, will reimburse them for their school lunches,” explains spokesman Jiří Hannich.
“The support program was already launched last year, as a district we offered to pay for school lunches for November and December. Parents registered a total of 860 children in this support program, which is 7% of all children attending elementary and kindergarten established by the city district. The cost of paying school lunches for November and December amounts to almost 1.2 million crowns. Councilors of Prague 6 agreed that the payment of school lunches will continue in January and February this year. A total of three million crowns are allocated for this purpose from the budget of the municipal district,” he added.
“It is not general aid, but aid targeted at those who feel affected by the current situation. for example, the simple form of the request in the form of a letter of honor and the fear of unnecessary administration or shame, which prevented those who needed help from asking for it. The positive reaction of the parents convinced us that it makes sense to continue funding,” explains Prague 6’s decision Mariana Čapková (Praha 6 Sobě), Prague 6 councilor for education.
Other city districts also have support programs. Parents from low-income families and single parents can buy school lunches pay from several support programs e.g. from the main program m of Prague Help to the People of Prague or the program of the organization Women for women in cooperation with UNICEF. Parents are informed about these options directly by the schools. In addition to this help, parents can, for example, turn to the Dvojka srdcem fund in Prague 2, which has approved two such requests.
“Although the prices of lunches and meals are within the competence of school facilities based on the decree, we are aware that in these difficult times increasing the cost of meals for children would be unfortunate and we are ready to do everything to make the impact of possible price increases more bearable for the family,” Portlik concluded
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Author: Profimedia.cz