As reported by BBC news, a man who grew up in poverty is campaigning for all children in Wales to receive free school meals
Adam Johannes, 40, said watching his mother adding up pennies for food shops and being forced to cross essentials from her list “stuck in his mind”. He wants the Welsh government to immediately provide free meals to all families on benefits, and then to all children within a year. The scheme is restricted to families earning £7,400 or less.
As part of a series looking at the issues people in Wales would like to see tackled by politicians after the Senedd election, BBC News spoke to Johannes and asked Wales’ political parties for their views. Johannes said many families just above the £7,400 threshold – which is £14,000 in Northern Ireland – were struggling to make ends meet. He became involved with protesting against poverty, austerity and cuts when he joined People’s Assembly Wales to campaign against library closures in Cardiff.
“I come from quite a poor background, so your books are almost like a magic carpet to lift you from your situation to a fantasy world,” he said.
“When I was quite young, my father lost his job, in the 1980s and we were plunged into poverty and moved to a council estate.
“I saw my mum doing the shop, and saw her adding up every penny, crossing out items, and sometimes no matter how much she crossed out she couldn’t make the sums add up to afford the essentials and she would get very upset.
“People shouldn’t have to live this way in a rich country. It stuck in my mind.”
In England and Scotland, free school meals are provided for children in reception and years 1 and 2, and Johannes also wants Wales, which provides free breakfasts to primary pupils but not lunches, to implement this immediately.
“People are missing out by being just under the threshold.
“Quite a lot of people in Wales are in poverty, where that’s due to working part-time, being carers or being in low-paid jobs, there’s this layer of people who do often seek charitable assistance.”
Eventually, with one year as a proposed timeline, Johannes would like to see the universal provision of nutritious free meals for all school-aged children in Wales, regardless of family income.
“The main objection is it costs too much, but what does it cost if we have so many children and families struggling?
“Four London boroughs provide free meals to all primary pupils and Wales is the poorest country in the UK, so surely we can do it here? It’s not actually that much money in the context of the Welsh budget.
“It frees up money within a family then for other things in their budget and for people really struggling that can make a world of difference.”
Johannes points to the situation in Finland, where all pupils receive free meals until they are 16, and said the cost of the programme could be offset by the benefits to public health.
“There are benefits there in terms of childhood obesity, better concentration in schools, better educational attainment and a better atmosphere at school.
“And even in adult life there, there’s more communal eating, people meet together, they take health and nutrition more seriously. It’s a much more humane society.”
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