Conservatives wants to focus on learning, not lunch

(not typical Norwegian) Lunch Box, Photo: Pixabay.com

Høyre wants to focus on learning rather than food in school

The Conservatives (Høyre) applaud municipalities that offer school meals to pupils, but they would rather invest in measures that promote learning before a national school food scheme.

 

– Nutrition is very important, and we are also concerned with the Norwegian school as well. Nevertheless, I think it is a good split between tasks that parents contribute with the food and the school contributes to learning, Member of Parliament and deputy leader in the Conservatives, Nikolai Astrup, stated in a NRK debate on Friday.

He emphasized at the same time that it is important to arrange for the students to have good lunch breaks and actually eat the food they bring with them. Nevertheless, he believes that measures relating to the training of teachers and early intervention among students are more important than a national effort for school lunches.

– There are many municipalities and school owners who contribute fruit and school lunch schemes, and that’s quite ok, but for national efforts we need to emphasize what gives students the greatest possible learning outcome, the Deputy Leader emphasizes.

Social dimension

Retiring Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party (SV), Snorre Valen, says in turn that a school lunch scheme goes hand in hand with other objectives, such as more learning and an extended school day. Moreover, he notes that children from families with social challenges are the hardest hit by the lack of school lunch schemes.

– There is a social dimension in this here, which makes me marvel that the Conservatives makes a division between nutrition and learning. It’s true that there are not very many children that do not bring food from home, but for those it has big consequences, says Valen to NRK.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today