More Money For School Lunch Program Announced
The Ministerio de Educación Pública (MEP) (public education) is looking at a plan to double the money it spends on delivering lunch to school children in country's some 4.000 schools.

The MEP said it will expand the budget by ¢22 billion colones (u$4.3 million dollars) to ensure that all school children have a lunch and in most cases, the schools will be able to double their daily rations.

Schools who don't even have an eating area are welcoming the news, now that they can construct a lunch room, like the San Cristóbal school in INVE Las Cañas, where school staff attends to 500 students on a daily basis in a temporary lunch room.

The school's staff has to become ingenious, organizing raffles, bingo nights and other events to be able to raise money to provide lunch to the students. In rural areas, the school lunch program is an major dietary source for some students.

The additional money from the MEP will ensure that every school will be able to offer students a basic and healthy menu and the children will be able to remain on school property during the lunch hour.