Free school meals: A simple step toward an educated, equal, and empowered world.
Finland used to be one of the poorest European countries at the end of the 19th century. It was not unusual to have children working in the fields and factories, in order to sustain their families. The years 1866-87 carry an unfortunate denomination of years of famine. Due to short crops, people of Finland suffered of malnutrition and 8 per cent of the population died out of famine. As Finland became independent in 1917 and started to build up its institutions, one of the first tasks was to get children to school, instead of forcing them to work in harsh conditions. Soon it became clear that hungry school children are not capable of learning.
Thus, Finland was the first country in the world, in 1943, to enact a law whereby school children were guaranteed a free-of-charge meal during the school days. First, food was served for underprivileged children but since 1948 school meals have been available for all students. Having learned from our history, there was a strong will to develop the country away from an unequal, agriculture-based society towards a more modern welfare society. It was understood that the best way to improve our economy, was to educate people and not just the rich ones but the whole population.
Education was perceived as an investment in the future. Over 70 years later, Finland has developed into a modern welfare society, recognized for having one of the best education systems in the world. Free school meals remain an essential part of Finland’s education system to ensure equal access and participation for children, and it plays a role in the country’s development into an information society. In many parts of the world, the situation is much gloomier. School attendance as such has increased considerably, which is good news.
Simultaneously, we are struggling with a persistent learning crisis where the majority of children in low and lower middle-income countries are in school but cannot read or write a simple sentence. Climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts around the world, have aggravated the situation. Due to increasingly frequent extreme weather conditions, crops become smaller and uncertain. Children are the ones that are hardest hit by the global food crisis. There is a simple, yet effective solution for both improving food security and better learning results: free school meals.
Thus, Finland was one of the founders of the global School Meals Coalition that was created in 2021. It now includes over 100 member countries and 108 other partner organizations. The aim is to support and encourage countries to develop their food and education systems, recovery from the pandemic, and promote the achievement of sustainable development goals. The ultimate objective of the Coalition is that every child in the world will receive a school meal on a daily basis by 2030. We provide financial support for school meal programmes worldwide.
In 2024, Finland allocated 5 million euros to WFP’s school meals programes globally. This also includes support to the School Meal Coalition Secretariat coordinated by WFP. We also provide technical expertise for countries wishing to develop their school meals programes. Finland has launched a website about the Finnish model and relevant stakeholders:
www.educationfinland.fi/schoolmeals
For those countries that are currently looking to reform their education, Finland wants to give a gentle hint. Please invest in free school meals! It is a small but significant concrete investment in children’s future, and school meals programs can be started with small steps.
School meals programs can strengthen the overall food security, but they can also contribute to the local economy. When implemented correctly, food programs can help diversify food systems. The use of locally produced products in school meals benefits the consumption of locally produced agricultural products and can promote the diversification of production. This in turn positively impacts the crisis resilience and economy of local communities. Looking ahead, our mission remains clear. We have to ensure that by 2030, every child, everywhere, has access to a healthy and nutritious school meal. This goal is very ambitious but it can be reached. We only need to intensify our efforts and work together. As an end result, we get an affluent youth that is capable and motivated to build a better and more equal and prosperous world for all.
The author is Ambassador of Finland in Islamabad.
