Rises in food prices endanger food provision in preuniversity institutions

The rise in the price of food products makes the provision of food to children in Chisinau preuniversity institutions difficult. The General Division of Education, Youth and Sports asks the authorities of the capital city to increase the budgetary expenditure on meals in schools. At Monday’s meeting of the City Hall, the Division’s head Tatiana Nagnibeda said that the budgetary norm of 3 lei for providing the 1st – 4th grade students with breakfast is too small if taking into account the rising prices. She also said that the respective norm for all the types of meals in schools should be raised by 2 lei. The additional expenses of providing the students with food add up to over 3 mln lei, even if the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) has recently allocated an additional sum of 3.3 mln lei for serving meals in schools during September – December 2007. Approximately 28,200 students of the 1st - 4th grades in the municipality of Chisinau have been provided with free breakfast since the start of this year. The breakfast cost 3 lei a day per child. Also, 20% or 3,600 children from the same group that attend after-school activities received free supper worth 4 lei. The general boarding schools and the boarding schools with special regime provided 1,679 students with free food worth 18 lei for a resident student and 15 lei for a non-resident student. The auxiliary schools fed 234 students, at a cost of 15 lei per child. The municipal sports lyceum supplied free food to 543 students, worth 8.9 lei to 19 lei a day. As many as 136 students of the sports classes of the lyceums “B.P.Hasdeu”, “M. Viteazul” and the Secondary School No.7 received free food worth 8.9 lei to 19 lei a day. The CMC decided to feed the students that had been sick with tuberculosis or come into contact with contaminated persons during the school year 2006-2007. A number of 498 such children in preuniversity education institutions are supplied with free food worth 12 lei a day. Also, 188 children from special kindergartens and spa groups suffering from tuberculosis are fed at the price of 18 lei per day, and 547 children with mental and physical disabilities from special kindergartens receive food worth 13.5 lei per day. The norm for feeding the children in general kindergartens that work round the clock was raised: 311 children are provided with food worth 12 lei a day.