Article by Natanael Iriciuc, volunteer within GIL Sector 1.
The implementing rules for the Hot Meal Scheme for the period September-December are only now being drafted. The biggest problem that persists in Romania is that the education system continues to leave pupils behind by failing to take concrete action to respect the right to quality education for every child!
A study by Save the Children Romania has shown that in 2021 there will be more than 1.5 million children living at risk of poverty and social exclusion, which means that 41.5% of the total number of children are condemned to social exclusion because they were born in disadvantaged places. All the while, each one of us is witnessing a scene in which the Romanian state, instead of creating mechanisms whereby every child can benefit from the same rights, is further widening the gap between these children and their chance of a better future.
On 25 September, Edupedu published an article that presented the status of the “Hot Meal” programme for the school year 2023-2024. Even though on September 3, 2023 the new law on education in pre-university education (199/2023) came into force, which provides for the implementation of the “National Healthy Meal Program” extended to 1 million beneficiaries from this school year, the Ministry of Education decided to use until December the hot meal program with the provisions of the old education law, 1/2011, because the necessary funds for the period September – December were not allocated taking into account the legislative changes that were to take place.
The sad fact is that the government decision on the operation of the Hot Meal Programme from September to December 2023 is only now being worked on, which means that all the mandatory procedures for county councils and municipalities could be completed in a month in the best case scenario.
All the while, there are at least 100,000 children who depend on this programme as their only main source of food (according to the same Save the Children Romania study). Thus, their ability to learn is diminished by subjecting them to the terrible ordeal of learning on an empty stomach. These children must be a priority for Romania because each of them has the right to a future that offers them access to the best possible quality of life. By excluding them from society, by offering a poor quality education, the Romanian state is doing nothing but creating its own obstacles to Romania’s development.
The Romanian government prefers to increase school drop-out in Romania in exchange for 22.5 million lei that the state “saves” every week that children with fewer opportunities do not receive hot meals in schools.
The project is run by the Romanian Academic Society in partnership with Act For Tomorrow Association and Vellenes Fellesorganisasjon with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through EEA Grants 2014-2021. The aim of the project is to increase the capacity for mobilization and civic engagement, especially among young people, by developing a set of monitoring and advocacy methods and tools to improve the quality of public transport, education and waste management services provided by local public administrations in urban areas.
The project is implemented by The Romanian Academic Society in partnership with the Act For Tomorrow Association and Vellenes Fellesorganisasjon and benefits from a 249.989 euros grant from Active Citizens Fund Romania, funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants Grants 2014 -2021. The content of this website does not necessarily reflect the official position of the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021; for more information, visit www.eeagrants.org. More details about Active Citizens Fund Romania are available at www.activecitizensfund.ro.