Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, is the first of the 23 wards to make school lunches at municipal elementary and junior high schools completely free from spring next year, as soaring prices are also affecting the child-rearing generation.
In Katsushika Ward, as of May this year, there are more than 29,000 children and students attending municipal elementary and junior high schools, and the monthly school lunch fee is 3,900 yen for the lower grades of elementary school, 4,200 yen for the middle grades, and 4,490 yen for the upper grades. Parents pay 5280 yen at junior high school.
Under these circumstances, the ward has a policy of completely free of charge by subsidizing the full amount borne by parents, and wants to realize it from April next year.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, only some villages in the islands have free school meals for elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo, and Katsushika Ward is the first in the 23 wards and urban areas with a large population.
The necessary budget is regarding 1.7 billion yen per year, which will increase by regarding 1 billion yen, and the ward wants to use the increased tax revenue and accumulated funds.
Katsunori Aoki, mayor of Katsushika Ward, said at a press conference, “The cost of food is rising now, and the burden on the child-rearing generation is increasing. Considering the future, I would like to raise funds while promoting administrative and financial reforms.”
The ward has a policy of including the necessary budget in the initial budget proposal for the next fiscal year, and will proceed with coordination with the assembly side in the future.
Residents of the child-rearing generation welcomed Katsushika Ward’s policy of making school meals free of charge for elementary and junior high schools, saying that it would help reduce the burden on households amid high prices.
Among them, a woman in her 40s with a 2-year-old child said, “My mother and I were talking regarding the cost of food going up and it was a hard time, so I think there are many families that will be saved by reducing the burden.” A 38-year-old woman with two children said, “It was a little less than 10,000 yen a month for school lunch alone, so it would be very helpful if it became free.”
In addition, a 26-year-old woman who has three children, a second grader, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old, said, “Right now, I’m only paying for school lunch for one child, but I think the burden will increase when the other children become elementary school students. I was thinking regarding it, so I’m happy to make it free.”
