The government discussion on spending limits has concluded, and Kela meal subsidy was not raised. TREY has campaigned for raising the meal subsidy because the ministry of education and culture have been preparing a proposition which would raise the price of student meals starting in autumn 2020.
The maximum price for a student meal was raised last time in 2012, but the costs associated with providing meals have risen by 11 percent since. This situation has put the quality of student food at risk. By raising the meal subsidy the government could ensure that covering the increase in costs wouldn’t fall solely on the student, but that Kela would support the meal by the same amount as before.
It is understandable that the government discussion on spending limits was focused on solving the corona crisis. On the other hand the crisis also affects the livelihood of us students. At the moment raising the prices of student meals in practice equals yet another cut in our social security. This is why we wait for the meal subsidy to be revisited in the autumn’s government discussion on spending limits!
A lot of students and associations participated in the campaign in which we encouraged students to share their thoughts on the importance of student meals. Many personal stories shared with the hashtags #mealsubsidy and #studentmeals made it clear that healthy and affordable student meals are appreciated and needed. TREY wants to thank everyone who participated in the campaign!