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But the students have to wait another year for vegetarian food.
Starting in 2022, the Oslo City Council will introduce a daily meat-free meal in all upper secondary schools. This will be free for students, but will cost the municipality 60 million crowns.
– In the budget for 2021, no funds have been set aside for a meatless meal at the Oslo School. The investment is postponed in its entirety until fall 2022. Then, we will introduce a daily, free, meat-free school meal in upper secondary schools as a permanent scheme, stems from a response by Health Councilor Robert Steen (Labor) to the city council policy Aina Stenersen (Frp).
Read also: Vegetarian food becomes standard on the Christmas table in the municipality of Oslo: – People should be able to choose for themselves
– Important public health measures
The response indicates that NOK 20 million have been reserved for vegetarian food in schools in 2022 and NOK 40 million from 2023 onwards.
– The focus on a meatless meal at the Oslo School is an important public health initiative, which should be coordinated and led by the Health Service in close collaboration with the Education Agency, says Steen.
At the same time, the red-green city hall will continue the scheme with free fruits and vegetables for all upper secondary students as a permanent scheme in 2021.
Also read: Vedum down the throat of the MDG meat demands: – Pure moralism
– it’s completely wild
Stenersen, who put a written question to the city council about how much money the city has set aside for vegetarian food in schools next year, reacts strongly to the prioritization.
– It is crazy to spend 60 million crowns on vegetarian food, at the same time as SV school counselor Inga Marte Thorkildsen comes out and complains about the lack of money at the Oslo school, she to Nettavisen.
FRP’s policy refers to a series of cuts, which it believes should have been prioritized.
– They cut on many major initiatives at the Oslo school, such as summer school cuts, there are cuts in talent investment in math and science – and several principals and teachers have argued that they operate almost indefensibly in terms of materials and other equipment at school, Stenersen says, adding:
– We have received feedback that there are more people who have to share textbooks, because they cannot afford to have enough textbooks for all the children. And when it comes to prioritizing vegetarian food, it’s completely wild and an ideological experiment that the school doesn’t need.
– They can eat whatever they want
– It is emphasized that this is an important public health measure, that’s a point, right?
– I think it is important with good public health, but we at Frp do not care what students eat in the cafeteria for lunch. They can choose for themselves, because we have a lot of faith in the students. In the long run, it’s much more important to learn to count, write and be able to do well in school, says Stenersen.
– But should the health of the students also be important?
– Yes, it is clear that student health is important and it is important to focus on it. But school is a place where you must learn to read, write and count and prepare for a future with work and equalize social differences. So basic skills are the most important thing, he says.
He also notes that there has been a decline in Oslo’s results in national tests and therefore he believes it is “unacceptable” in such a situation to prioritize vegetarian food. With the investment being put off for a year, it’s no surprise that you’re just happy about:
– I think the postponement shows that it is not an important project at the Oslo school. This is almost like a public relations project for the city council, as it can easily be postponed for a year.
– It’s scary
But Tarjei Helland, city secretary for education and knowledge in Oslo, responds to the criticism.
– This is money that is allocated from the health budget and is, above all, a very important public health measure. That said, there is a connection between industry and learning, so this is also good for the student’s school and learning situation, says Helland, who answers on behalf of the school board.
– That FRP oppose this good and important measure is not something new, but it is scary that they do not see how valuable it is, he says.
Free fiancé for all
However, in the 2019 election campaign, the Labor Party promised free school meals to all students in Oslo schools by 2023, at a price of up to 300 million crowns.
“The Labor Party believes that school meals are an effective measure for greater learning, better public health and fewer differences. School meals will make it easier for students to perform better and keep their concentration high.”, Wrote Councilor Raymond Johansen (Labor Party) in a press release.
Conservative Party city council leader candidate in the elections, Eirik Lae Solberg, thought the prioritization was wrong.
– I think it is a strong wrong prioritization. 98 percent of Oslo primary school students bring a packed lunch, according to the Research Council. So it’s spending 300 million, and probably a lot more, it’s the wrong use of money, Lae Solberg told Aftenposten.
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