Footballer Praises Free School Meals Plan
£11million Welsh Government scheme will run until next Easter
Free school meals are going to be provided during holidays in Wales until next Easter.
It's costing the Welsh Government 11-million pounds.
Footballer - and campaigner - Marcus Rashford says it'll have a significantly positive impact, arguing 'no child in 2020 should be sat in a classroom worried about how to access food'.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said she hoped the confirmation would provide ‘some reassurance in these times of uncertainty’.
She said: “We have worked tirelessly this year to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and the countless challenges it has presented but we have not, and will not, forget those for who school is about far more than education.
“I am pleased to confirm that we have today made £11m available to provide free school meal provisions over every school holiday up to and including Easter 2021.
“I really hope this provides some reassurance in these times of uncertainty.”
Marcus Rashford added: "Holiday provision is vital to stabilising households during the school closures, given the devastating effects of COVID-19.
“Having this framework in place for the foreseeable future will have a significantly positive impact on children who are struggling to engage in learning due to anxiety and fear, not to mention the noise of their rumbling stomachs.
“No child in 2020 should be sat in a classroom worried about how they are going to access food during the holidays, and the impact that will have on their parents when matched with unemployment, ill health and, in some cases, personal loss.
“There is still so much more work to be done to protect this next generation but I welcome the Welsh Government's swift response to this urgent need in protecting the most vulnerable children across the country. Our children and their welfare should never not be the priority."