One-quarter of school-age children go to school hungry... How much would providing free meals in schools cost the budget?

According to October 2023 data from the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA), at least one-quarter of school-age children go to school hungry. Looking at UNICEF data, Turkey ranks high in child poverty with a rate of 33.8 percent based on 2022 figures, coming in just after Colombia.

The issue of children going to school hungry and the distribution of one free meal in schools, which had been discussed in previous years, has returned to the agenda, especially with the rising prices after 2023.

According to a report by Özder Şeyda Uyanık from Ekonomim, the previous Minister of National Education, Mahmut Özer, had stated that starting from February 6, 2023, when the second term of the 2022-2023 academic year began, free meals would be provided to children in preschool education in all schools in Turkey. Due to the earthquake disasters, the free meal program in schools remained limited to the region and to students using school transportation.

MEAL COSTS BY AGE GROUP

According to data from the Ministry of National Education (MEB) in Turkey, the number of students in the 2022-2023 academic year, including private schools, was 2 million 55 thousand 350 in preschool, 5 million 535 thousand 531 in primary school, 5 million 186 thousand 943 in middle school (excluding open education), and 4 million 780 thousand 201 in high school (excluding open education).

Meal costs can be calculated based on the monthly nutritional amounts for ages 4-6 and 15-19, using data from Ankara and Istanbul calculated in the TÜRK-İş and BİSAM hunger and poverty thresholds (July 2024). While the average monthly nutritional cost for a 4-6-year-old preschool child is 3 thousand 244 TL, it is seen that a teenager in the 15-19 age range has a nutritional cost of 5 thousand 559 TL. When the amount is taken as 4 thousand 401 TL based on the average for the 7-14 age range, the cost for 1 meal is calculated as 36.05 TL for ages 4-6, 48.91 TL for ages 7-14, and 61.77 TL for ages 15-19.

SCHOOLS ARE OPEN FOR 185 DAYS

The 2024-2025 academic year will begin on September 9, 2024, and end on June 20, 2025. There is a 15-day semester break and two one-week mid-term breaks in between. When these holidays are excluded, a 185-day education period is taken into account, including official and religious holidays.

When one meal is provided to young people every day according to their age groups, the annual meal cost is calculated as 13 billion 706 million TL for preschool, 50 billion 84 million for primary school, 46 billion 930 million for middle school, and 54 billion 624 million TL for high school.

MEB'S 2024 BUDGET IS 38 BILLION 294 MILLION DOLLARS

While the total meal cost amounts to 165 billion 345 million 185 thousand 84 TL, it equals 4 billion 863 million 93 thousand 679 dollars (at a dollar/TL rate of 34).

In his 2024 Budget Presentation Speech, Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin used the following expressions regarding the MEB budget:

“The Ministry of National Education budget was increased to 16 billion 215 million dollars in 2023 and to 38 billion 294 million dollars in 2024.”

Since the 2025 budget has not yet been determined, providing free meals in schools corresponds to approximately 13 percent of the institution's budget based on the 2024 budget.

News Source: 12punto