Children in rural school hostels are being fed on just 24 cents a meal, a headteacher has revealed.
Labasa Sangam Primary School headteacher Bal Sanju Reddy said each child in a primary school hostel receives only $50 per term from the Government.
When broken down, he said, each student got about 24 cents per meal.
“If we divide $50 across the term, it works out to about 71 cents per day, or 24 cents per meal,” Mr Reddy said.
“What can a child get for 24 cents?”
He told the Education Act review consultation the situation was especially difficult for rural schools where the cost of food and transportation was higher than urban schools.
“It’s very hard to run a hostel with such little funding. We face a lot of problems.”
Mr Reddy said the ministry should review and increase hostel funding in the amended Education Act and review the ministry’s policy to better support student health and well-being.
