Children from 1st to 4th grade will eat for free: a new initiative of the President of Ukraine
After the start of the new school year, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the development of a new program that provides free meals for children in primary grades 1 to 4. In his video messages he said that currently not only the program is being developed, but also a safe space is being created for all schoolchildren.
Free meals for primary school students aims to ease the financial burden on families, as well as ensure an adequate level of nutrition for children. This application is developed with all necessary safety and quality standards in mind. This will provide children with balanced food, which will contribute to their health and academic success.
President Zelenskyy also noted that the implementation of the program will be accompanied by the creation of a safe space for all schoolchildren. This includes both physical security in educational institutions and psychological support for students. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science, regional administrations, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and local communities were tasked with ensuring the effective implementation of the “Safe School” program.
In wartime, most schools are forced to adapt to new conditions. More than two million children continue their education in a basic offline format, while about a million children study in a blended format – combining offline and online classes. This decision is due to the need to ensure security, the availability of shelters in schools and the situation in the regions.
In the conditions of a full-scale invasion, learning in schools takes place differently depending on the region. In the front-line areas, where the situation is particularly tense, schools work in a remote format. In areas far from the front, where the level of security is higher, local schools will be able to continue teaching in the traditional mode. The presence of shelters in educational institutions plays a big role in this.
Implementing free meals and ensuring safety in schools is a difficult task. The main problems may include organizing the delivery of products, ensuring their quality and compliance with sanitary standards. It is also important that the program is available in all schools, including those in difficult circumstances.
