The price of the menus in the school canteens of Extremadura are “much cheaper than what you can eat in any of the cheapest hamburger restaurants in Spain,” the Minister of Education, Mercedes Vaquera, said this Thursday in plenary session to defend that families who were left without a place and have accessed outside of quota have to pay more money for the same service.
According to the data that Vaquera has offered, the difference is about 60 euros more per year, although parents reported at the beginning of the course that there are different prices and in some cases the price difference is up to one euro per day.
The counselor has had to face a question from the socialist deputy Ana María Fernández about the reasons why there are different prices to pay for this service in educational centers supported by public funds. The parliamentarian has asserted that “it cannot be understood” that the school cafeteria has 20 different prices, which range between 4.02 and 5.27 euros, because the regional government “has made an effort to eliminate an acquired right, which was the “free school cafeteria.”
The counselor responded that the Executive’s priority is that all students who need the school cafeteria can access it “in the best possible conditions.” He explained that the allocation of the catering price to the different companies is done in batches, and that each of them – 20 in total – brings together a group of canteens that are located in different locations but within the same geographical area. These lots, he stated, respect the same price for the different canteens that are within that geographical area “but taking into account the quota – capacity of users – established in each educational center.”
In this sense, he has indicated that this quota was established by the previous socialist government in 2023 and will be in force until the end of this course.
Unifying the price would mean 2.5 million
When accessing the service, those who meet the income criteria have a free place, while for the rest of the students two situations can arise: pay 4.32 euros per menu – public price in force in 2022 – if there are places available and, If there are not, pay another price.
In this last case, he reported, the Ministry has interceded with the catering companies so that prices were not increased “or at least the minimum possible was made.” According to the counselor, the price in these cases is 4.70 euros for a “quality” menu and “much cheaper than what you can eat in any of the cheapest hamburger restaurants in Spain.” This will mean an additional outlay of about 60 euros per year for those users who exceed the income level, he added.
Given this, the socialist deputy has once again asked the Executive to “not mess up any more” and approve the universal free school cafeteria, to which the Board contributes 10.5 million euros for scholarship students and non-scholarship families 2.5 millions.
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