05 March 2023 , 10:00
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The Mayor of London recently announced that all primary school children in London will be handed free school meals to support families during the cost-of-living crisis.
Sadiq Khan’s £130million emergency scheme could help more than 270,000 children in the capital from September 2023, of whom an estimated 100,000 live in poverty.
The “game-changing” initiative, which will be paid for by City Hall, is expected to save families about £440 per child per year.
In response to the news, Mirror reader 'brok' wrote:
"I am entitled to express my view (in a comments section) that the education system should not use resources to feed the children it teaches, those resources should be used to expand and improve upon the EDUCATION.
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"Our standard of education is falling, the National Association of Head Teachers, in the intro to its 2021 report on the state of education wrote 'We surveyed over 1,500 school leaders in England over the summer, and this report shines a light on the consequences of year after year of insufficient funding'.
"Why use part of this underfunding to supply meals for nothing?
"While there should be confidential provision for people who, either temporarily or otherwise, cannot afford school meals, the main providers of food should be the parents, just as they do during school holidays and let the state concentrate on its duty of care - to teach."
Meanwhile, Mirror reader 'HB75' supports free school dinners, as the user wrote:
"I would genuinely be happy to see my taxes being spent in this way.
"I see it as a collective duty to give children the best start, and I'd be happy to contribute to minimising the effects of child poverty.
"Comments about parents only having children if they can afford them are problematic. If I can choose to not have children, even though I've always been able to have them and could afford to do so, it must also work the other way around.
"A loved poor child will always be happier than a rich unwanted one, especially if they get a decent school dinner."
Do you think all primary school children should receive free school meals? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Let us know which option you voted for and why in the comments section below.
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