Member of National Parliament Antonio dos Santos has raised concerns about the school feeding program as the meals served were nutritionally inadequate, despite the fact the government has increased the program funding. 
MP dos Santos said a monitoring project at an Ermera primary school revealed that the school was serving rice from 2012 and 2013.
“We approved a budget of 25 cents for each student so that it can fix the nutrition of the school feeding program, however the children are consuming rice with bean curd,” the Fretilin MP said.
MP dos Santos said he was also concerned that the books and rice were kept in the same room.
MP Agostinho Lay said it was better to deliver the rice to schools every semester so the rice would not be destroyed.
“The education warehouse in the district is too small and there are tonnes of rice stored there, so it is not good,” he said.
Timor-Leste Coalition for Education (TLCE) program coordinator Matias dos Santos said some branches of the school feeding program were functioning but some were not.
“We observe schools in Dili, even though the budget has been approved, in January and February the children were consuming only 15 cents of food,” MP dos Santos said.
He gave the example of Primary School no. 09 in Aimutin, Dili,where the school feeding program was not functioning in February.
He said this was the fault of poor management.
