The councilor for Education at Braga City Council, Carla Sepúlveda, stated today that “there is no reason for alarm” in relation to possible food shortages among students in the municipality’s schools.
Speaking at the executive meeting to respond to an alert left in the previous session by the CDU councilor, Carla Sepúlveda said that she contacted those responsible for the groups and other partners involved in the issue of school meals and that she did not receive “concrete reports” that the had left them worried.
“There is no reason for alarm or material that allows us to deduce that it is true [o exposto pelo vereador do CDU]”, he said.
At the previous executive meeting, the CDU councilor in Braga City Council, Vítor Rodrigues, warned of the alleged increase in the number of students in the municipality who will only be able to have “decent” food at school, given the economic need of their respective households.
Vítor Rodrigues said that this concern was conveyed to him in a meeting with the Federation of Parents’ Associations in the municipality of Braga.
“Monday is the day when there is less food left in canteens, and this is a clear sign of a worsening social situation,” he said.
For the communist, “the only decent meal” that many students can have may be at school.
“At home they can’t do it and, therefore, on Mondays they are more hungry”, he pointed out, also reporting a “very significant” growth in the number of students reported to the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People.
He admitted that this could be a reflection of the negative evolution of the economic situation of families, particularly resulting from the rise in housing prices and asked the chamber to pay attention to this reality, in conjunction with school groups.
Today, the Education councilor de-dramatized the situation and said that the issue of larger or smaller leftovers could have to do with whether students like the meal less or more.
“There are days, like Monday, when students, because they like food more, tend to eat more. On Tuesday, which is fish, it’s usually the other way around”; he mentioned.
The CDU councilor said that, even so, he “wouldn’t be as safe” as Carla Sepúlveda and advised that “all objective elements” be gathered to assess whether or not the situation is accurate.
“The absence of proof is not proof of absence”, he said.
