Jeonnam Schools Decide on Sharing Free Meal Food Costs... Complaints Emerge

219,000 People Next Year... Total Project Cost 377.5 Billion Won

"Please support eco-friendly food ingredients with cash rather than in-kind."

There is growing dissatisfaction in the Jeonnam education field regarding the budget-sharing decision for next year's free school meals between Jeonnam Province and the Jeonnam Office of Education.

According to the Jeonnam Office of Education on the 7th, the budget-sharing ratio for next year's school free meals was agreed upon as 40% by Jeonnam Province (city/county) and 60% by the Office of Education. According to the agreement, the budget-sharing ratio for free school meals will be adjusted to 40% by the province (city/county) and 60% by the Office of Education for two years from 2025 to 2026.

2025 School Meal Total Budget Status Table. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education

School principals and meal service officials in the Jeonnam region have expressed strong dissatisfaction with this decision. They argue that the support for high-quality ingredients beyond food costs, as claimed by Jeonnam Province, is problematic and difficult to understand.

One nutrition teacher stated, "The eco-friendly project is part of Jeonnam Province's initiative rather than the concept of free school meals," and added, "The province arbitrarily selects eco-friendly suppliers and supports schools with in-kind goods instead of cash, taking credit for it."

She continued, "The eco-friendly project involves the province selecting both the suppliers and the food ingredients. Even if inconvenient, schools cannot arbitrarily change them," and pointed out, "When ordering eco-friendly ingredients, the suppliers often claim 'out of stock,' causing shortages. There are many cases where nutritionists have to revise menus due to these shortages."

In particular, staff at public kindergartens expressed dissatisfaction, saying that with the integration of childcare centers, not only will the additional burden of free meals increase, but related labor costs will also rise uncontrollably, leading to cuts in educational activity funds.

Next year's free school meals in Jeonnam will cover a total of 2,199 institutions, including childcare centers, kindergartens, and elementary, middle, and high schools (alternative and special schools), supporting 219,000 students. The support amount is estimated at 4,613 KRW per meal, with a total project cost of approximately 377.5 billion KRW. Of this, the food cost is borne by the Office of Education at 75.5 billion KRW and by the province and cities/counties at about 90.4 billion KRW. The total burden including operating and labor costs is 287.1 billion KRW by the Office of Education and 90.4 billion KRW by local governments.

In response, the Jeonnam Elementary and Secondary School Principals Association proposed cash support at the discretion of school principals as an alternative to in-kind support in a statement.

The association argued, "While the percentage of free meal budget sharing is important, cash support at the discretion of school principals can also be an alternative," and added, "If the eco-friendly agricultural product meal system, which currently supports designated suppliers with in-kind goods, is improved to a cash support system like some other cities and provinces, it will enable planned school meals and school meals that coexist with local agriculture."

Although Jeonnam Province and the Office of Education finalized an agreement on the 2nd to share next year's total school free meal food costs at a 6:4 ratio, conflicts over meal services are not expected to be easily resolved.

An official from the Office of Education stated, "We are currently receiving many complaints from schools. To find a fundamental solution, we plan to operate a joint TF with the provincial government to discuss the meal operation system, including long-term budget-sharing ratios."