Domna Michailidou, Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, visited Aegina today to mark the inclusion, for the first time, of all the island’s elementary schools in the School Meals Program.
After visiting three elementary schools on the island, Domna Michailidou stated: “School meals reach every child, in every corner of the country. In Aegina, with the inclusion of all eight elementary schools on the island in the program, we are actively supporting the school community and the families of the island. For us, a warm, high-quality meal at school is a consistent policy of care, equality, and meaningful support for children’s daily lives. And it is particularly valuable that the program is consistently expanding to include island and mountainous regions, so that no child is left behind because of where they live.”
With the expansion of the program, new regions of the country have joined, such as Orestiada, Soufli, Grevena, Paionia, Istiaia-Aidipsos, and Aegina. Thus, school meals are gaining an even stronger presence in island, mountainous, and remote areas, confirming that government support reaches where there is a real need. In these new areas, 68 schools and 4,680 daily meals have been added.
For Aegina, inclusion in the program holds special significance, as all eight of the island’s elementary schools are participating, with 630 meals available daily. Currently, 575 students are being fed, a fact that reflects the positive response from the school community and the program’s substantial benefit for the island’s families.
The “School Meals” program is implemented in 159 municipalities across the country. Today, it covers 1,986 elementary schools, with 236,000 meals available daily.
SOURCE: APE