Minister for Education and Kerry TD Norma Foley has welcomed the expansion of the Hot School Meals programme to a further 12 Kerry schools.
The scheme was first set up in 2019 with a pilot of 30 schools but has now expanded to almost 2,200 primary schools.
Around 69 primary schools in Kerry are currently operating the Hot School Meals programme and this is now being extended to a further 12 primary schools in the county.
Minister Foley said that the Hot School Meals Programme has been a tremendous success and it is fantastic that it has now been expanded to another 12 primary schools in Kerry.
Schools Can Apply Now
“We now have almost 2,200 primary schools on the programme and all remaining schools can apply to join for the next school year in September.
“The programme is known to facilitate better education outcomes and I know that today’s announcement will be welcomed by many parents and families,” said Minister Foley.
The latest expansion of the Hot School Meals programme brings the total number of primary school children now eligible for it every day to 345,000. There are 8,984 children in Co. Kerry currently benefitting from free hot school meals and the addition of 12 more schools to the programme will increase this even further.
Meals Suppliers Chosen by Schools
The Department of Social Protection provides the funding to schools for the School Meals Programme, and it is the responsibility of schools to choose their supplier in an open, fair and transparent manner in accordance with national legislation and EU directives on procurement.
The Department of Social Protection has this year contacted all of the remaining Primary Schools who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals scheme asking them to submit expressions of interest in commencing the provision of Hot School Meals. Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Social Protection, has said that the responses will be reviewed with the aim of including more schools subject to available funding in Budget 2025.
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