Minister hails free lunch programme

The education ministry has given assurances that students will receive proper meals under next year’s free lunch programme.
Education Minister Permpoon Chidchob recently hailed the country’s free lunch programme, saying it aims to provide children with a healthy and balanced diet, which is essential for their learning and development.
Next year’s programme focuses on underprivileged children in rural areas, he said, adding that it is a follow-up to this year’s programme for primary schools.
He also said that a ministry survey has found that many students at lower secondary school levels still lack proper nutrition and thus face health risks that could impede their development.
“It is important for children to have a healthy and balanced diet so they can get all the nutrients and energy they need to grow and learn and develop,” he said.
He said that the ministry will work with the Department of Local Administration to ensure the 2.9 billion baht budget approved by the cabinet on March 26, is used to fund free school lunches for 575,000 students from Mathayom 1-3 levels at more than 7,300 schools nationwide.
These schools were placed under a ministry project to improve underprivileged children’s access to education.
Of the schools, 6,855 are supervised by the Office of the Basic Education Commission, 376 by the Department of Local Administration, 109 by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and four by the Border Patrol Police.
The schools cater to underprivileged students and often face challenges due to shortages of qualified teachers and problems related to the quality and quantity of food during lunches.
The budget allocation took effect on Oct 1, which is the start of the 2025 fiscal year, and coincided with the second semester of this academic year.
The lunch budget varies based on the number of students attending each school. For a school with up to 40 students, the budget is 36 baht per head per day.
“The programme for Mathayom 1-3 students marks another important step in efforts to look after the health of students nationwide. The ministry has assured that it will follow up on the programme constantly to ensure Thai children will grow up to be healthy and strong,” Pol Gen Permpoon said.