In the Shchyrets community in Lviv region, all schoolchildren receive free hot meals. This academic year, free lunches have been introduced for all pupils, whereas previously this opportunity was available only to those in privileged categories and in the lower grades.
Deputy Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration Oleksandr Kulepin inspected how the catering system operates at the Shchyrets Lyceum named after Hero of Ukraine Bohdan Ilkiv and at the Sokoliv branch of the lyceum. According to regional data, schools organise the process in different ways: in 375 educational institutions, meals are prepared in their own kitchens; in 348, kitchens are leased by outsourcing companies; and in a further 236 schools they use catering with delivery of ready-cooked lunches.
There are 54 children studying at the Sokoliv branch of the lyceum, where there is no separate kitchen or canteen, so they opted for a catering model. By contrast, at the Shchyrets Lyceum itself there are 723 pupils in Years 1–11, for whom hot meals are cooked directly on site.
According to the headteacher of the Shchyrets Lyceum named after Hero of Ukraine Bohdan Ilkiv, Maria Popovych, to manage to feed more than 700 children they had to change the timetable: lessons now start at 8:30, and four 20-minute breaks have been allocated for meals. Classes have been staggered so that lunches are finished by 12:00.
The first week of operating under the new schedule, she said, was not easy: questions arose regarding portion sizes, seating arrangements and supervision by form tutors. After assessing the capacity of the premises, the breaks were extended, and now most pupils regularly eat in the canteen, although some children are still getting used to the updated menu.
In recent years, the catering infrastructure at the Shchyrets Lyceum has been significantly upgraded: the kitchen and canteen premises have been renovated, the ventilation system replaced, ancillary rooms and toilets refurbished, and modern kitchen equipment purchased. The canteen can now accommodate up to 200 children at a time.
At the Sokoliv branch of the lyceum named after Hero of Ukraine Bohdan Ilkiv, where it is not possible to create a fully-fledged kitchen, catering has been arranged. Ready meals are delivered in thermo-boxes so that they remain hot until the start of the break, and the children have their lunch in their classrooms.
“They bring us a varied and balanced menu: buckwheat, rice, bulgur, steamed cutlets, fish with vegetables, fresh salads with beetroot, carrots or cabbage, as well as yoghurts, fruit, stewed fruit and tea. The children really enjoy it,” noted the head of the branch, Olha Lutsiv.
The menu at the Shchyrets Lyceum is also gradually changing in line with modern approaches to healthy eating. Some children have already grown fond of the new dishes, such as cottage cheese bake or yoghurt, while others are getting used to vegetable dishes and salads.
Oleksandr Kulepin stressed that field visits to schools in local communities make it possible to see how the school catering reform works in practice, to identify its strengths and weaknesses, and later to develop recommendations for the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.