The Ministry of Education decided it will increase the subsidy for the School Feeding Program (SFP) to 25 cents per student per day to ensure students get good food and the daily nutrition they need. 
The Vice Minister for Basic Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, said the SFP will stop students going hungry and increase the quality of the food they eat and will make them focus and be more active in class.
“In 2014 each student will be allocated 25 cents per day so everyone will eat more adequate meals,” said Vice Minister Soares.
She added the school feeding program is an important investment in the education sector because well fed children will develop into strong individuals who can then contribute to the sustainable development of Timor-Leste.
Meanwhile Member of Parliament (MP), Commission F (Health, Education, Equality and Veteran Affairs), Ilda Maria da Conceição, said providing 25 cents to each student won’t be enough as cooks also need to be paid out of the same budget line.
“I don’t think 25 cents is enough, it ought to be 50 cents, because in the menu manual published by the ministry it states a portion of that money will also be used to pay the cooks,” said MP da Conceição.
