Yulia Svyrydenko: Pupils in grades 1-11 shall receive free meals throughout the country starting in September next year

Pupils in grades 1-11 will receive free meals throughout the country starting in September next year. The Government is preparing all the necessary decisions for this. This was announced by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

"Today, to implement the first stage of the programme, almost UAH 5.9 billion in subsidies were allocated to communities to provide the first stage of meals for schoolchildren in 2026. In total, the state budget for 2026 allocates UAH 14.4 billion for this programme," Yulia Svyrydenko emphasised.

The Government has also envisaged separate funding for the modernisation of school canteens so that children receive not only free but also high-quality meals.

The Prime Minister reminded that since the beginning of 2025, free meals had been available to pupils in grades 1-4 throughout Ukraine, and since September, hot lunches have also been provided to pupils in grades 1-11 in frontline communities.

"Our priority is to create conditions for safe and comfortable learning for every Ukrainian child, regardless of their place of residence or format of education," the Prime Minister emphasised.