Penza, 21 August 2014. PenzaNews. Prise of school meals in Penza will increase starting from the beginning of the new school year, said Yuri Golodyaev, head of the city department of education, during a press conference on Thursday, August 21.

© PenzaNewsBuy the photo

“School breakfast will cost 40 rubles instead of 30, and lunch will cost 50 rubles instead of 40. These prices remained unchanged for three years, so the increase was inevitable. We were no longer fitting into the health regulations for the meals,” Yuri Golodyaev said.

He noted that all of the meal benefits provided from the municipal budget in previous years, will remain unchanged.

“It is important for the city administration that the price increases do not affect only the parents’ wallets. Just as in the past, the budget will allocate the funds to cover 50% of lunch or breakfast costs for benefit-entitled children. That is, their parents will pay only 25 rubles for lunch instead of 50. These prices will be effective for primary school pupils, secondary school students from low-income families and children with tuberculosis,” head of the education department of Penza clarified.

He also stressed that children from certain social categories will continue receiving free meals.

“These include students from large families and disabled school pupils. We also have a category of children in a special type-VIII school. They get free breakfasts and lunches,” Yuri Golodyaev explained.