Free lunches for Taipei school students

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city will fund free lunches for all elementary and junior high school students.

Taipei Department of Education Commissioner Tang Chih-min (湯志民) told a city council committee the policy is preliminarily estimated to cost more than NT$2 billion. The measure is expected to save parents more than NT$10,000 (US$317) per child annually and benefit nearly 180,000 students.

The city hopes to fund the program through the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures, though details have yet to be finalized. In the meantime, the budget will be included in the first round of supplementary appropriations. 

The education department explained that Taipei is expected to receive more than NT$20 billion in allocated funds this year. To align with the annual budget cycle, part of these funds will be used to implement the free lunch policy.

Tang also said that because lunch fees vary by school, the policy’s cost estimates are based on average prices, about NT$63 per meal for elementary schools and NT$67 for junior high schools. Whether future subsidies will be calculated using average prices or the highest price remains under review.

Tang said details such as implementation methods, budget arrangements, and menu planning still need to be finalized with city-level officials. He said the policy will ensure students directly benefit and lead to improved meal quality, with hopes that it can be implemented in the next academic year.